ALL IN THE SAME BOAT…

Criteria for a successful crisis management team
Team solidarity vs. the war of egos

When General Le May, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, tells JFK that he is in a bad situation in the Cuban affair…. the President is surprised and points out to the General that he is also in a bad situation

When we go to our clients for our audits, we pay particular attention to the functioning of the management teams. We can then detect determining criteria

👉Crisis situations can have a magnifying effect on the dysfunctions of the teams which usually go unnoticed

👉The members of a EXCOM, a Management Committee, crisis management teams, are rarely (if ever) selected for such a situation

👉The dominant traits of personalities stand out at these times. The combination of team members’ qualities can produce very contrasting results

👉Egos can resurface at the worst possible time. Some will see the opportunity to settle scores, or the opportunity to be better than others, or the chance to let their leader down

👉It is often already too late to change the team

💡It is therefore necessary to make team members understand that this is a special moment, that personal issues must be neutralized. Egos need to be kept in check. Collective #intelligence is vital

💡It is no longer the first one who spoke in a confident manner who won

💡We need to realize we are in the “same boat.”
The stakes are too high. If the boat sinks, everyone will be impacted

💡Everyone must be able to talk around the table. We’ll have to listen to each other

💡But time is running out. We have to decide!
Knowing how to lose a little time allows you to gain time later on. Taking a step back promotes better decisions

💡The #decision process cannot be business as usual. Maybe some people, who are more reserved will need to be encouraged to speak up and listened to more carefully

💡The #diversity is an opportunity because the expression of different points of view will be necessary. This refers to the all-too-common reflex of selection processes that lead to cloning. After all, we understand each other better when we are similar. On the day of a crisis, we find a limit to this inclination

💡The ability to express different opinions is indicative of confidence level and #leadership style . Confidence in oneself and in the team allows for the expression of non-conforming or opposing opinions

💡The question of dispute resolution then abruptly arises. And the answer is another good indicator of the team’s ability to navigate a crisis

➡️ So #uncertainty brings out the best and the worst. The human factor approach to #crisismanagement is crucial.