What 10-year-old kids playing hockey and managing in a crisis have in common

Leading during Crisis

The world leaders have taken center stage. Some are shining bright and other seem to struggle. Leading during a crisis is very different than leading during normal times.  Some look to be scrambling, others seem to have put more thought into the short and long term future. Those scrambling remind me of the way 10 year old children play hockey or soccer. They all rush to the ball or puck. No one plays their position. No one is executing a strategy. Nobody is thinking about what happens after I get the ball.

In crisis management, leaders don’t have the luxury of doing lots of analysis and research. In our current crisis we don’t have very much data or a lot of facts that even allow us to predict or model what might happen. We don’t have historical precedent to follow or learn from. Leaders be they political, business or other, need to make quick, tough decisions. These decisions may affect people’s health, finances or the lives of people and businesses.

We as business leaders are used to making many decisions across many timelines from immediate, to short term to long term in our businesses. I always joke that I never know what year it is, as I review last year’s data, review this year’s performance, and plan for next year and strategize for many years in the future.  

In crisis like this one, we know for sure there will be an impact on the immediate term and the near future. We still aren’t sure what the year will look like and we don’t know what the impact on the future will be.  Things are fluid. The timelines of the crisis and flattening the curve are not known. Even the experts who model pandemics are sure how this one will evolve and what timeline it will follow.

As leaders we need to ensure we don’t get caught with our heads down only focused on the immediate (chasing the ball). We need to look at how to address the short term. We need to answer questions like how I will offset lost revenue from current operations and how will I make up for potential lost customers. What is the impact on my staff? You may be thinking how will I operate in the “new norm” that arises? Typically, new technologies grew rapidly in times like this, cultural shifts accelerate or change completely.

I pulled together a little check list of items you need to do now.

? Ensure your staff are safe

? Can all or part of your business continue to operate

? What changes can you make to operate more of your business remotely/online

? At a minimum double the number of leads you need in your funnel. This will offset any current lost revenues and assist with the fact many current customers may fold.

? Start planning on how your business can operate in 3 months and 6 months and 1 year if there is another wave. Include social distancing and WFH. What needs to change

? What new technologies could you watch to take advantage of 

? Monitor cultural shifts, social patterns that change, how will these impact your business

Business leaders need to be working on the immediate, the short and the long term all at the same time. At times like this we tend to look like a bunch of 10-year-old children playing soccer or hockey. Everyone chases the puck or ball. We know that those who play their positions and stick to their strategy will win the game.

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Brian Crew is a consultant, entrepreneur and CEO of BricConsulting and has 25 years of business leadership experience across various industries. You can reach Brian at [email protected]