Beyond Crisis Leadership: When the cracks start to show

Crisis is a bit exciting, isn’t it? It's different to regular drama, because it has: 

• Surprise

• Serious threat 

• Short decision times.

Tick, tick and tick.  

When crisis first hits, we fire into emergency response mode. We make important decisions with urgency and take high-stakes protective action. We were straight into it here, checking in with clients and pivoting quickly to online delivery. We ran around getting tech and home studio gear, juggling big decisions about split-custody bubble life with three kids alongside. I was in super-organiser mode, and it felt like we worked every minute of the day, with an inexhaustible supply of energy.

Thanks, adrenaline! Crisis boosts adrenaline production to keep us moving, which is great for temporary heroism.

But hero mode is unsustainable (which I seem to keep learning the hard way) and if we're not careful, it's followed by a crash.

After the emergency response dies down, there's an awkward transition between response and recovery. This is where the cracks often show.  

Now the initial madness has died down, our house is in that transition. At our best, we laugh and problem solve together. At our worst, we argue over housework (my partner and I) let communication drop off (my team) or scrap over Lego (the kids). Everyone seems to need more sleep, as enthusiasm is tempered by a creeping exhaustion.

This is pretty normal, as crisis excitement gets replaced by everyday reality. Things seem… harder. Recently galvanised partnerships and leadership teams start to fragment. A nagging tension builds as people get tired and can't try so hard all the time. Communication gets patchy or fraught. Progress dips. Momentum and productivity slows.

There's a fine line between thriving and surviving, and it's OK to have some sh*t times. There's also a couple of things we can adjust that might help: 

SUSTAINABLE EXPECTATIONS
We can’t maintain sprint pace for a full marathon. After the initial crisis, the best thing to do is re-examine what you expect of yourselves and others - timeframes, responsiveness, output and quality - and make it clear that you aren't expecting miracles every day.

SUPPORTIVE SYSTEMS
When everything changes, our carefully developed, useful systems can become irrelevant or go out the window. We default to our hard-wired and familiar habits. If the default is good, that's great. But when it isn't...

My default can be a bit of a control freak. Also, resentful of others for not being similarly inclined. Talk about charming to live with. 

If we can't be 'on' all the time, we need to reset our routines and practices to support us out of the negative default. The test for a good system is one that makes it easier to do the right thing than anything else,

Commit lightly to new ways of making things work with your family, partner and team by trying something new a day or a week at a time.

And be kind, hero time is over.