Dealing with crises when they arise is all part of life. And it seems like entrepreneurs “enjoy” more than their fair share of crises. Perhaps it's because of the many tasks under their care or it's because they're creating something that will eventually be bigger than any one person can manage… whatever the reason, you can guarantee that crises will arise.
When dealing with crises, I recommend you do two things. No, not (1) cut and (2) run!
When you're faced with a crisis, pause for a moment and consider:
- The best case scenario
- The worst case scenario
People who do not deal with crises well imagine a worst case scenario and panic. My recommendation is to first imagine (or even write down) the best case scenario: what the resolved crisis looks like when all the parties leave happily with the outcome. It gives you something to work for.
My next recommendation is to think about the worst case scenario, but don't let it panic you. Instead, identify the things that have to go wrong in order for that to come true, and quickly brainstorm ways to ensure that those things don't occur.
Is this system perfect? No… no system is. But the next time you're faced with a crisis, you'll be able to manage it much better when you pause and consider these two things.
