Handling crisis will show who we are and how we cooperate. Talking about a winning team is easy when winning, but things tend to get more difficult when you end up in a down spiral. Sometimes you just don’t know what is going wrong, as you sometimes can’t figure out what is going well. So when things go to hell there is no room for moaning or personal things. The task is still the main focus of all action.
Hopefully you have been through a bunch of scenarios so you can pick a set of tasks that fit your problem to a certain extent. There is no receipe for a crisis but a combination of good routines, a steady process and flexibility inside the team increase the chance to survive, as long as everybody is loyal to the common goal and stays focused. No matter how limitid the resources or how hopeless the situation, there is always something you can do. My father puts it that way:”Impossible is not an option, only if you don’t give a damn.”
Our individual tasks harmonize to a big entity that is stronger than the single parts. Everybody balances his workflow and progression to the teams development. The group is “in tune”.
I held a presentation for a squad who have a lot of field experience on crisis management. The Emergency Response Units of the Norwegian Red Cross are sendt to crisis areas around the world to improve the situation for patients after a catastrophy. One example is the major earthquake in Nepal in April last year. Their common goal is to make a small world a bit better every day. We discussed a lot about restricted recources, switching team members, individual vs. common interests and harmony. I experienced open communication as I followed their discussions on specific challenges. I admire those who subordinate their personal interests to the goal of helping others.
[ctt template=”5″ link=”o41B_” via=”no” ]When bad times trigger the best in us – handling crisis[/ctt]