Leadership in Times of Crisis

A study by Stanford University was conducted to learn about the dynamics of leadership. Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 company employees that rose from low levels to become president of the company were studied. Was there a common trait that these leaders demonstrated during their rise to the top? One attribute was found to be the most common. Leaders emerge during the most difficult of times, during crisis. The study found that this is not trained but rather inbred in the character of the leader. Therefore, our own leadership abilities are revealed when we are in the midst of a great challenge or problem.

We know that problems, setbacks and crisis are inevitable. One can't avoid them and they don't ever stop. A leader's duty could easily be described as a problem solver. The greater level of responsibility, the more problems and crisis there are to overcome. When these inevitbale crises occur the only thing a leader can do is to respond. If had control, the problem may not have occured in the first place, but we didn't so here it is. This is defined as our response ability. Our ability to respond to crunch times of modern life. Below are a few keys outlined by Brian Tracy that can be practiced in difficult times.

1. Stay calm. Take some time to catch your breath. The true test of leaders is effectively handling problems and challenges. Top leaders stay calm. Blood flows to the front of the brain when we stay calm according to neuro-science. The front of the brain, the thinking brain, is where we analyze, make decisions and take action. But when we become excited then blood flows to the paleocortex, the animal brain, which activates emotions. Emotions such as anger, fight or flight, fear etc. A leaders job is to keep cool so that we utilize the thinking part of the brain.

2. Get the facts. Not what you heard second or third hand but the real deal. Often times when something goes wrong we don't have the full story. The natural tendency of weak people is to jump to conclusions and run around in circles. A leader can maintain their cool by asking questions. Leaders are listeners. Leaders ask quesions. They withhold judgment until they have all the information and then make a decision.

3. Take responsibility. This calms a leader down. "I'm responsible. I'm a leader and my job is to stay calm and solve problems," is key phrase to repeat. No, "why me?", nobody cares. Refuse to complain or throw stones. What is done is done. Don't criticize other people. Assume the best intentions on the part of other people. No one is perfect and sometimes people make mistakes...it's just the way it works. The thinking part of the brain shuts down when we become critical of others and we began to take action out of emotions like anger or fear. Taking responsibility even when we didn't cause a specific crisis is an important trait of a leader. Staying calm, friendly, cool and friendly is the job of a leader.

4. Remain Confident. We have all the tools we need right now to handle any issue that come up. We are never given a problem that we don't have the capacity to solve. Show confidence. There is a rule out there that says that your people are a direct reflection of you. Other people are watching us and they are watching to find out if we are confident. When we are calm they stay calm. If we stress out then they will stress out. Act as if the successful result is already assured, even if on the inside we feel some fear or insecurity.

5. Unleash Creativity. Ask, "How?" How will we solve this issue?" How is it possible to get through this?" We only answer questions that we ask ourselves. Implement this method: Take a piece of paper and with your team ask the question, 'How can we solve this problem?' It is critical to get others involved in the process. 'We can do more of this or we can do less of that'' Be solution oriented at all times. Weak people are blamed oriented. They focus on what doesn't work or someone's fault. Don't focus on what can't be changed, only focus on what can be changed.

6. Concentrate on Priorities. Stop. Time out. Make the main thing the main thing. What is most important? Who is the key person to get involved? Slow down and focus on the most important thing that can be done. Concentrate on stopping the bleeding. "What can is the most significant thing that I can do at this time?" is the key question to ask.

7. Counter Attack. Go to work. Stop. Think. Get the facts and get to work. See the key people. Talk to the players that need to be talked to. Make the phone calls. Attend the meetings. Stay action oriented. Action is one of the main things we can to do maintain control and our personal power. As we take action then we get feedback to self-correct and take more action. The more active we are the more ideas we get and more action can be taken.

Crunch time is inescapable. There will always be challenges, problems and crises. The only question is how well we perform under those circumstances. When we perform well during crunch time then we are leaders and will have a exceptional life.

Ian Fitzpatrick has lead and built numerous organizations. He is considered a master at developing leaders and has helped hundreds of people realize their goals. He wrote this article on Leadership to serve as a blueprint. Ian also teaches those in the MLM and direct sales industry how to succeed at a high level by generating 50-100 highly qualified prospects daily with his MLM Training Secrets.