5 Rules of a Crisis

Times of crisis often require action. But crisis also dysregulates emotions and creates anxiety that leads to faulty decision making. Whether it’s a pandemic or or being down 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, following a specific plan for how to deal with a crisis can help you navigate through difficult times and make the best decisions possible for you and your team. These rules highlight 5 key points: Perspective, Accountability, Emotions, Help, and Action.

Rule #1. Perspective

            This crisis isn’t happening TO you. The world doesn’t work like that. Take the Coronavirus as an example. While you may be affected by the pandemic, and some have been more affected than others, a strain of virus that has spread throughout the world didn’t originate with the sole purpose to get YOU sick or to cost YOU money. The forces of the planet aren’t conspiring against you. Instead, view the crisis as an event or experience that is taking place that you are affected by to a certain degree. The depersonalization of your involvement with the crisis helps you view the situation more objectively, and allows you to begin your thoughts from a place of facts, not emotions.

Rule #2. Accountability

            Like any other adverse situation we find ourselves in, the first question we should ask ourselves is: “What’s in my control?” If your team is losing at halftime, the first step in changing the circumstance is looking in the mirror and holding yourself accountable for the role you’ve played thus far. While considering, discard information about the crisis that is not in your control, because spending time ruminating on those thoughts is unhelpful and a waste of valuable time. Taking ownership and accountability for the aspects of the crisis that are in your control, such as wearing masks in public during the pandemic, increases personal responsibility and allows for more concise decision making.

Rule #3. Emotional Regulation

            Now that we have a healthy perspective about the crisis and are considering rationally what’s in our control, we are approaching the time to make meaningful choices that are critical to the overall outcome.. But first, it’s important to consider that choices made while angry, afraid, or anxious are usually not our best decisions. Having techniques to regulate emotions such as mindfulness, breathing routines, thought-stopping or reframing strategies, and more help us make decisions while calm and coherent. This gives us the best chance to take positive action.

Rule #4. Get Help

           Enough with the stigma that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Where did we go wrong as a society when we decided that considering our options from a different point of view, gathering useful information, striving to be better, and desiring to seek improvement is somehow frowned upon Help could mean many different things. It could mean making a therapy appointment for a mental health struggle; it could mean extra tutoring to work though issues academically; it could mean being responsive coaching so you can reach your optimal performance potential; for coaches it could mean using your network or attending clinics to learn new and innovative ways to get the most out of your players. Regardless of what help you need or why you need it, being supported and considering different opinions and ideas always leaves you in a better place to make your next decision.

Rule #5. Take Action

            The final step is to move forward to rectify or improve your situation after a crisis by taking action. This action should be while calm, with emotions under control, after considering what’s in your control, and after receiving necessary help to move forward. These actions should be both offensive (doing something to actively make your situation better) and defensive (taking action to prevent further or future damage), and should be made from objective facts.