Perry Maddox shares practical advice on how to build high performing crisis leadership teams to lead successfully through the toughest times.
Raise your hand if you saw the pandemic coming.
We saw the news picking up, but did we know? Even the sharpest leaders probably had only weeks to prepare. Then the scale of it all. Not just a global pandemic but also a global lockdown and a global recession. It’s nearly impossible to prepare for that in a matter of weeks.
Crisis hits you suddenly and unforgivingly.
We must respond and quickly. Good leaders do not go it alone. No time for hero mythology here, this is a team effort. Putting together a crack leadership team is vital to your survival in a crisis.
These four steps will equip you to build crisis teams that slow it down, regain control, and come out the other side stronger.
Structure Your Team for Success
You need to choose who’s in the room to lead the response. Don’t let it happen naturally or on autopilot. Choose.
Build for skills, experience and diversity. Different crises demand different skills. Choose accordingly. If possible, include a few folks who’ve been through crises before. Scan for diversity. Lacking diversity creates tragic results, whereas diverse teams offer more holistic insight, experience and inspiration when you need it most.
Keep it small. I find anything more than 6 to 8 people unwieldy. The ideal headcount will vary depending on the crisis and your people.
Mix it up. Team composition varies with each crisis. I often ask members to come and go as a crisis evolves. Overall, I tend toward a blend of senior leaders and specialist leads, but I’m not afraid to mix it up as needed.
With the crisis team established, I turn to sustaining them over time. I like to group my leaders so that nobody carries too much alone. You three on safety, you two on finances, you and me on comms.
Working in groups relieves pressure on individuals, reducing mistakes. It provides seamless backup when somebody misses work or gets called elsewhere, as often happens in emergencies. It allows me to rotate individuals onto phased rest periods, helping them recover without slowing the response.
Avoid the Crisis Leadership Black Hole
Equally important, choose who’s not in the room.
I like to keep part of my senior leadership team completely free from crisis response. If we are all sucked into the crisis, we’re going to be in trouble when it’s over.
There is a tendency to all pile in and help, but risk arises if everyone pauses their day jobs. Instead, I aim to protect specific teams like future-looking fundraisers or teams on flagship projects where failure would be worse than the crisis. Keep them working.
Working with a smaller team increases clarity and cohesion. It also insulates the rest of your talent to continue the work that prepares you to emerge from crisis.
Tend to Your Leaders
The nasty reality about a complex crisis is that we rarely know when it will end.
So prepare for the long game now. Care for your people first. Then identify who will carry the heavy loads.
The weight of crisis falls heavily on frontline responders caring for those affected. From the outset, watch your responders. Also watch your crisis leadership team. They carry extreme stress and a high cost if they wobble. Ask who else will carry a heavy load. Now plan to care for them over the course of this crisis.
The easiest place to start is by simply asking them how they are on a regular basis. Make time to ask, to listen and to understand how your people are feeling. Many times, that act alone will be enough. When it’s not, you know how to support them because you’ve listened to what they need.
Healthy people perform better when you need them most.
Ask this Crisis Leadership Question Now
Before the next crisis, ask yourself:
Who are the leaders that will help me lead through the next crisis?
If you look around and see plenty of talent and leadership ability, that’s great. Keep them happy and keep them growing. Use this material to guide them when crisis comes knocking.
On the other hand, if it’s just you, you’ve got a problem. Crisis exposes the best of us, so be honest. If you’re not comfortable with what you see, own the problem. Crises will keep coming whether or not you’ve got the talent. Don’t wait to prepare.
Leading in crisis without a strong team is a recipe for failure and burnout. We need neither.
We don’t need heroes.
We need leaders who build crack crisis teams.
