When the crisis comes, from one second to the next, our first reflex is to hide. ”It’ll go away by itself, it’s best to stay in our little hiding place…” This behaviour has helped us a lot over many millennia – and we still have it deeply embedded in us. Today we have a different starting point: crises no longer threaten our lives, but they can cause serious difficulties for a company. Today we have to train a different reflex: Hooray, a crisis – now we can really show what we can do!
Crises bring opportunities. In a positive sense, a crisis forces us to give our best. A very experienced manager with whom I had the honour of working taught us his credo: you win market share and customers when things are crashing and banging. Not when the sun is shining. So where do the opportunities lie?
Opportunity no. 1: You can really help the customer!
When customers are in need, they need help. And concrete help at that. No blah blah blah, but tangible support. Through clear, fast and transparent information – and by getting in touch with their contacts. The crisis allows us to stay in close contact with our customers and actively help them. This is much easier than making contact if you don’t have a real reason or just want to sell something. This is where we can make a real contribution. At this point, this question comes up again and again: But how can we help if we don’t have a solution or even enough information to pass on? The answer is simple: proximity counts! If the customer knows that he has someone at his side, that helps him immensely. And if you can then show your customer a schedule and then the solution itself, it becomes a positive experience. What could be better than a customer saying: ”That was really difficult for me, but it was great how you supported me and how you were always there for me!”
Opportunity no. 2: Together with a clear goal
Crises are always concrete: there is a clear common goal that everyone is working towards together. Sometimes we lose sight of our actual corporate goal, which is normal and human. A crisis often ”helps” us to have a common goal again and to join forces. What fantastic moments there are when the crisis team sits together and finds, decides and implements solutions. And they do so at a rapid pace, overcoming hierarchies and standard processes. The focus is on the goal: we have to solve this problem as quickly as possible for our customers. This focus is a very powerful shared experience – and many companies would like to work in crisis mode more often, highly efficiently and with an interest in finding solutions, with the right sprints in the right place.
Opportunity No. 3: A great title alone doesn’t help…
Crises make it very clear who you can and cannot rely on. Good managers and employees do not lose their heads in a crisis, but shift up a gear. Good managers and employees are implementation-orientated and do not cling to hierarchies and processes. Good managers and employees don’t just disappear in a crisis, they actively work together. When the sun is shining and the wind is blowing from behind, everyone is successful. But crisis is crunch time! Who goes the extra mile? Who makes a contribution above and beyond what is normal? There are winners in every crisis and they are not always the ones with the best title. As a boss, you can recognise who you can rely on in a crisis.
To be able to use a crisis as an opportunity, you have to be prepared. You need a stable crisis and communication plan in the drawer, just as you can test such a scenario. This is not rocket science, but a pleasantly pragmatic process, step by step. You just have to do it!
Finally, nothing tastes better than sharing a beer and a pizza with the team that has successfully overcome the crisis!
I work as a freelance communications consultant in Leksand in Dalarna, Sweden. With thirty years of experience as a communications manager in Sweden, Germany, England and Luxembourg, I know how important it is to work pragmatically. Communication is a craft – and only sometimes an art. Crises have no opening hours and don’t just work Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm. If you need help: 0046 70 735 1911 or kommunikation@tillasgarden.se. I promise fair billing and don’t need long-term contracts. I’m there when you need me!