Growing Through Calamity — Empowered Times

This article is written by Billie Greer—a public policy advisor, retired lobbyist, business leader, consultant, activist, feminist, and mentor to many (including me!)…. Did I mention she’s 87 years young?!

I invited this real life SuperWoman to write an article based on her vast personal and professional life experience about how to respond when calamity strikes. How can we tap into our inherent leadership qualities, set an example, be the change, and feel empowered when things spin out of control?

I’m honored to share her words of wisdom….

*“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you,*
*till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then,*
*for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”*
*~Harriet Beecher Stowe*

Crises happen.

In our world.

In our nation.

In our everyday lives – whether it be a health crisis, a financial disaster, the loss of a family member, a threat to our own well-being.

When we face a crisis, as most of us will during our lives, we feel overwhelmed. Powerless. Fear sets in. We become despondent, convinced that there is no course of action that will help address the situation. We are stuck. Immobilized.

The answer is determined, in large measure, by how one reacts to a crisis and manages that crisis.

One approach, which I call “Calamity 101”, steals a page from the experiences of corporations and leaders who have successfully handled crises. Having long been considered state of the art when responding to disastrous circumstances, the precepts of Calamity 101 are just as applicable to meeting personal crises head on as they are in addressing crises impacting businesses, government and other institutions.

Calamity 101 lays out steps to be considered when a crisis is upon you -- helping you to deal with the situation and to gain some level of control over what is happening as you seek potential resolution of the issue at hand.

Keeping a positive outlook is critically important if you are to stay the course and maintain your sanity, during what will be a difficult and rocky journey. Ignore the naysayers and judgmental people who stand in your way.

Given that uncertainty, not clarity, will be your companion as you deal with the crisis, keep telling yourself that you will survive this, and there is a future ahead. You either advance or stay where you are, and the latter is not where you want to be. By taking action, you empower yourself and you will be stronger for it.

Confront the crisis. Acknowledge the crisis - what it is…what it entails…who is impacted. Be as objective as you can. What you consider to be the worst-case scenario may or may not be on mark.

Take responsibility for your role in the crisis. Your role, not the role of others. Admit that you erred…took the wrong path…failed to respond. Be straight forward. No sugar coating. No excuses.

Outline an action plan to meet the crisis and manage it. Look at each step in the plan as a means to reach crisis resolution. Lay out specifically what you will do to address the situation and ensure that the issue will not rear its head again in the future.

Communicate immediately, in accordance with the action plan you have set. If you don’t respond in real time, anticipate that someone else will do so, to your detriment. By speaking out quickly and presenting the facts of what happened, you establish control of the situation. The credibility gained will help open up the lines of communication to follow.

Clear the decks of distraction and focus efforts on implementing each action step in the plan. Mobilize your resources and keep moving. If something is not working, re-examine and adjust as needed. Keep assessing forward motion and, if stalled, change the course.

As a result of applying these principles, will the tide turn? No guarantee. But likely yes, as the steps outlined above have set the standard for crisis resolution and, when applied, have generally brought about positive results.

The tamper-resistant seal on the medicine or vitamin containers in your cabinet was designed in response to a crisis. In 1982, Tylenol capsules in Chicago pharmacies were laced with cyanide, resulting in the death of seven people. Johnson & Johnson responded to the tampering incidents with immediacy—issuing a mass recall of 31 million bottles. Then, the company developed a triple tamper-evident seal, which led to other companies adopting this innovation. Just one example of how a crisis and its resolution have brought major changes that went beyond the immediate situation and saved lives!

From crisis comes resilience, born from hope. And, it is that resilience that keeps us whole.

It is that resilience that makes us strong even during our darkest moments. It is that resilience that brings us through.