Are you prepared for a conflict? You better be.

Downsizing, restructuring processes and conflicts at work. How are you really prepared to face a conflict - or a crisis situation?

Is it possible to prepare yourself? Yes, claims organization and leadership developer Ole André Braten. With a background as a soldier and police superintendent, he has extensive experience in standing in crisis situations.

A Trained police officer, soldier and specialist in work and organizational psychology - Ole Andre has served as a Police Superintendent and Assistant Professor at the Norwegian Police University College, as well as working for NATO and the UN. Since 2008, he has run his own business as a management and organizational consultant. He has extensive experience in crisis counseling.

- Leaders must be prepared to face many demanding situations, and must therefore have a good mental preparedness. One of the most important things you do as a leader is to handle conflicts. Downsizing and restructuring processes can be very stressful, and many experience it as a crisis, he says.

When you are in the middle of a demanding situation, the most important thing is that you manage to keep a cool head and think clearly, so that you quickly make good decisions.

- You are often dependent on external assistance, but you can also work on how to be better prepared yourself. The key is to master stress, says Br?ten.

How to deal with demanding situations

If you train as a soldier or police officer, crisis management plays an important role in the training. In management educations, on the other hand, there is a shortage.

- When a demanding situation arises, there are few leaders who think that I have learned to face this. Nevertheless, as a leader, you must be prepared to face all types of crises - the common denominator is dealing with stress, being able to make quick decisions and daring to stand in the situation. This is exactly what few leaders are prepared for, says Br?ten, who, among other things, has taught crisis management at the Police Academy.

He now holds courses in crisis management for leaders across the country. The course focuses on three types of crises:

1. Safety: Crisis situations that occur when it suddenly starts to "burn" - unwanted incidents that no one is to blame for.
2. Security: A deliberate crisis situation, such as terrorism (or cybercrime)
3. Business crisis: For example, a major restructuring or change.

- Mental training, stress management, interaction and effective management are the tools a company depends on to solve crises in the best possible way. Leaders who know how to function under pressure and who at the same time have a good understanding of the situation are best equipped to deal with demanding situations, he says.

Good communication

For soldiers, police, health personnel and journalists, it is part of everyday life to end up in demanding situations.

- They usually have time to prepare while they move out to the situation, can process it afterwards and get a break until the next emergency. As a manager, you have to be in this tension all the time - you never know when a demanding situation will arise for the company. Therefore, an important part of managers' preparations is to prevent crises - to prepare themselves and to enable employees to handle changes before they occur.

In a demanding situation, you must not only handle your own stress, but also that of others, says Br?ten.

Even if you yourself feel that you are doing a good job in a crisis situation, you can still experience being criticized afterwards.

Practice in specific situations

The most important thing you can do as a leader is to take the time in a hectic everyday life to reflect on which situations you experience as demanding, and prepare yourself mentally for such.

- Maybe you need replenishment, support, advice or coaching to be better equipped, he says.

The courses Braten holds for executives consists of a (virtual) workshop where the participants are presented with different scenarios, and receive advice on how they can best be handled. Practicing in very specific situations gives good gains, because you get an insight into how you yourself react in a given situation.

Through a virtual coaching program in crisis leadership the executives are are followed up over time to keep track of progress - and to make sure they keep up with the program.

The course is divided into two main themes.

The first part is about stress management in the role of leader. The focus is on how to master demanding situations under the time pressure that many leaders face on a daily basis. The second part is about crisis communication.

- Even if you yourself feel that you are doing a good job in a crisis situation, you can still experience being criticized afterwards, including from the media. Good communication with employees, the board, the media and so on is an essential part of a manager's tasks in a crisis situation, says Braten.

How to prepare for demanding situations

* Be prepared: Know yourself and your reaction pattern.

* How have you mastered demanding situations in the past? Why do you want to be a leader? Commitment is a buffer for stress in an unexpected crisis.

* Learn stress management techniques, such as visualization - when you create an inner image of a crisis, you build mental preparedness and recognition.

* Practice communication strategies - both internally in the company and externally.

* Set aside enough time to practice interaction internally - and build a strong culture

Originally published as interview with Ole Andre Braten in "Leaders toolbox" published by Leaders federation, Norway        

A practitioner, researcher, founder and academic author - Ole Andre Braten is a powerfull communicator both on and off (the virtual) stage. He is a sought-after advisor, feeling equal at home in the boardroom as with frontline personell. Mr Braten just launched a Nordic program on Crisis Management for executives and their organizations here

A former Police Superintendent and Assistant Professor, he is published on renowned publishers as Cappelen Damm Academic Press, Wiley-Blackwell and Routledge (in press). He holds a masters of philosophy degree in Work- and Organizational Psychology from the University of Oslo. His book "Handbook of Crisis Management" is published in 2022 here

https://www.oleandrebraten.com