Decision-Making In Times Of Crisis

As a leader, how can you give clarity and make good decisions when the unexpected hits your organization?

The best way is to take one step at a time. First, take stock of the situation by talking with your team, advisors, and colleagues. If you’re the CEO, discuss with the board as well. Then it’s time for thinking, considering options and planning scenarios.

So how do you consider the angles and make the best decision possible?

Being Resilient

The two key factors of resilience, and bouncing forward from an unexpected situation, are flexible thoughts and social flexibility.

Having flexible thoughts means moving away from the usual ‘this is how it has always been done’ methods, and challenging your thinking to solutions which might even feel impossible. The latter key factor, social flexibility, stands for seeking advice with genuine intention to consider the inputs received, not to strengthen one’s own beliefs.

At the end of the day, decisions are needed to steer your team forward. Indecisiveness, especially during a crisis, drains and defuses energy for everyone involved.

Steps To Making Decisions During A Crisis

• Talk with your team – Be honest about your concerns and insecurities, but present at least a couple of options that you have considered. Do they agree? Would they add something totally different? Why? Take time for these discussions.
• Reach out to your network – The world is now full of leaders who are contemplating on various decisions for their organization. Peer support and acting as sounding boards to one another can be more valuable than ever.
• Keep daily notes – Keep track of team meetings, discussions and the development of key items. You might start to find patterns or problem-solving sequences from the earlier meetings you had.
• Don’t be afraid to alter – If the situation changes, you can always come back from a decision. It’s not a mistake to pull back from one if the outlook or future shifts, especially if a possibly bigger risk may occur when sticking to a decision.
• Prioritize yourself – Your organization needs your leadership and presence. Sleep, exercise, plug off to relax your thoughts – quality decision-making suffers quickly when we are sleep-deprived, stressed and anxious. You’ll be doing your people a huge favor by making sure you appear on the morning video conference with a smile and greeting them with confidence.

Getting used to short-term planning with long-term recovery and success in mind is a new situation for many.

Keeping a diary of these weeks and months can benefit you largely in the future. New routines, practices, and in the best case, innovations will come out from this massive learning opportunity that all leaders of the world are currently facing.

Let’s do our best to capture the good outcomes of this situation while we fight the crisis!