What do you do when faced with a big problem or crisis that needs to be addressed? Here are some steps I follow:
- Involve the right people.
Get the right people in the room—the ones who have access to the information, are involved in the issue or need to be part of the solution. It’s important to avoid having a bunch of separate, one-off conversations. Instead, I bring everyone together to discuss the situation in real-time and create alignment.
- Clarify the problem.
Make sure to clarify the problem. What is actually happening? What is the root cause? We must be on the same page about what the problem is before deciding on a solution.
- Decide on action steps.
Strategize and align on action steps. I need input from everyone in the room—their perspectives and updates. As CEO, I ultimately make the final call, but it’s essential that I hear everyone’s ideas and opinions. We don’t have to agree on everything, but alignment is crucial.
- Develop an action plan.
Develop an action plan and timeline. What are we going to do? Who is responsible for what? What’s the timeline? It’s imperative that everyone is clear on these points. We need to align on ownership, actions and timelines.
- Communicate consistently.
Establish a communication rhythm. How often will we provide updates until the problem is solved? It’s vital to be on the same page regarding timing. Issues arise when, for example, I’m expecting an update later today, but someone else is thinking tomorrow or a few days from now. We need to communicate consistently until the issue is fully resolved.
- Prevent future problems.
Once the problem is resolved, we dig into why it happened. How did we get here? It’s not just about fixing the issue temporarily but understanding what happened and, most importantly, ensuring it doesn’t happen again. You don’t want to solve the same problem repeatedly. Solve it quickly, determine the cause and implement measures to prevent it from recurring.
Let me know how you handle tough situations!
