Embracing Business Crisis
Author: Alicia Marie Fruin

"Without the strength to endure the crisis, one will not see
the opportunity within. It is within the process of endurance
that opportunity reveals itself."
Chin-Ning Chu

Crisis is often an entry point; an opportunity to get real,
tell the truth about our selves and our business. Definition of
Crisis -The moment in which we know without a doubt that if we
don't make changes with ourselves and in our business we will
lose. Unfortunately, at this point we usually have already lost
quite a bit, which is what makes it a crisis!

Understandably no one hopes for a crisis. Certainly this
applies to our business or organization. Most of us as leaders
would probably say one of our primary responsibilities is to
prevent a crisis from ever occurring.

However, I have found that powerful lessons for all of us can
be found in the middle of a business crisis. It isn't uncommon
for a leader to say, "Our staff has never pulled together more
than when we were facing a crisis." Possibly it's the very real
prospect of going out of business, facing a public relations
catastrophe or even a natural disaster that causes people to
unite.

And although this may not seem surprising, it does beg the
question, "why?" Why do people set aside their usual
disagreements and petty politics in the midst of a crisis?

I found one possible answer while contemplating teams and
organizations that live in a perpetual state of daily crisis.
Consider firefighters or soldiers in the midst of war.

At those moments, these are certainly some of the least
political and divisive teams that you'll find. For them,
disagreement about budgets and lines of responsibility are
ludicrous, or even worse, deadly. And that's the point. When the
stakes are clear and high, you know …life or death.
Well-intentioned people can't help but focus on the prevailing
task at hand. Which is exactly what happens to businesses in
crisis: they get focused around a compelling, over-arching goal.
They put aside their egos and differences for the common good of
the team or business.

We innately know this about ourselves and people which is why I
personally believe some businesses create an ongoing atmosphere
of chaos or crisis. Consider that there is another way, another
option for focusing on the important and the common good. A way
to stop avoiding the issue(s) and address what is not being
said.

It starts with clear purposeful reasons to be in business, to
do the job and to get the result. As the leader, it is your job
to make sure your people have these:

• A Vision
• A Business purpose
• Goals
• Key measures for success in their own roles
• Individual plans for growth and development

"The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis'.
One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity.
In a crisis, be aware of the danger-but recognize the
opportunity." John F. Kennedy


About The Author: Alicia Fruin Owner of Profit Consulting Co.,
Alicia Fruin has become a leader in the field of coaching,
consulting and training for small business. She has designed
more than 80 custom training programs for hundreds of business
owners in a variety of industries.
http://www.profitconsultingco.com