September 7, 2023 | By David M. Wagner

A year on from the destruction of hurricane Ian, it seems like Florida officials have learned from past mistakes.

My parents, who lived in Ian’s path, were relatively lucky to avoid devastating losses. But they also witnessed the chaos that resulted from evacuation orders being delayed until less than one day before the storm hit.

Thankfully, Florida officials decided “erring on the side of caution” was preferable in advance of hurricane Idalia’s arrival last week and urged many to evacuate.

Crisis Does Not Have to Mean Chaos

Crises are inevitable. Chaos is not.

I remember joining a leadership team in which crisis management was almost routine. From staffing shortages, to space shortages, to unreliable air conditioners, to budget issues, it felt like every week brought a new problem.

And in the beginning, it was chaos. We weren’t clear on what to prioritize. We did a lot of improvising. Our decisions were ad hoc.

Over time, we got a better handle on things. And we handed a much more stable organization to the next team of leaders.

Five Categories of Crisis Response

How? To illustrate, let me introduce the Five Categories of Crisis Response. Which best describes your team’s last response to a crisis?

• Level 1, Chaos – “We don’t know what we’re doing.” This is where we started. Our agenda each day was driven by the improvising responses to the latest crisis.

• Level 2, Cohesion – “We weren’t prepared for this, but we know what’s important.” When we got clear on our values and goals – two critical parts of our strategic vision – and developed trust in each other, we were able to act more decisively.

• Level 3, Anticipation – “We thought this might happen.” As we started making plans to realize our vision, we identified possible risks we knew could derail us. We already had some options prepared when those problems, like running out of offices for staff, did eventually occur.

• Level 4, Planning – “We’re prepared for this.” We developed and even tested procedures for our most consequential risks. When there was a nearby security threat, we were able to quickly locate and communicate with over 100 staff members – just as we had practiced.

• Level 5, Mastery – “We’ve been through this before.” There are few substitutes for experience. After a crisis subsided, we took care to document what had worked well and what we needed to change to handle things better the next time. Subsequent problems stopped feeling like crises.

It's hard to get ahead when you feel like you’re moving from crisis to crisis. But by making some time for strategic thinking, you can stop inevitable crises from turning into chaos.

I’ve helped dozens of organizations and leaders get on the right track by setting a clear vision, formulating an anticipatory action plan, and fostering a people-centric culture. Set a free consultation with me today and take the first step to reasserting control of your organization’s direction.