March 20, 2020—Management expert Peter Barron Stark, the president of his own consulting firm, shares his six tips for how a business owner can lead effectively during a crisis.
In a blog he released on March 17, Stark says the one thing that is always needed when there is a crisis is a leader.
Stark provided six tips for leading:
- Get calmer. Quickly assess the situation and figure out what needs to be done to improve the situation.
- Get closer and get involved. Do not hide in an office and hope for problems to be resolved.Get closer, get involved and resolve the conflict.
- Do the right thing. Leaders know that when most people are moving in one direction, they have the opportunity to move against the flow and do the right thing.
- Take action and mobilize your team. Having something to do helps people stay calm, stay focused and take action to improve the situation. Each day, make a list of the things you and the team have accomplished to improve the situation.
- Over-communicate. During chaotic times, normal communication channels won’t be working as well as usual. People will be hungrier than ever for information. Give them an opportunity to provide input.
- Provide hope. Most people want to follow a leader who has a positive vision that the crisis will be resolved and tomorrow will be even better than it was today.
