29 Mar How to View Crisis

Have you experienced crises before? I’m sure you did as far as you live on this planet. What did you feel when you face a crisis? How did you view the crisis at the height of the moment? How did you react?

I relate to you. Crises- some lightweight and others heavyweight, came upon me many times. I didn’t like them. Who does? They are uninvited intruders.

Of course, the way we view and respond to each crisis varies. I used to resent any form of crisis. They created discomfort and messed up with my plan. I still remember the countless hours I spent complaining about why this, why now, and why me 🙂

However, my perspective about crisis changed when I learned that the great ones I studied actually befriended with crises. Rather than fussing about crises, they welcomed them as opportunities. A crisis that came to wipe them out, ended up being a victim itself. They used the crisis to challenge themselves. They also showed the world what they were made of by turning the crisis into opportunity.

What is a crisis? Simply, a crisis is an extreme form of unplanned change. Changes can be divided into two major categories: Planned and unplanned changes.

We all plan for some changes, especially during the beginning of a new year. We may plan to change our lifestyle, job, relationships, etc. Such changes happen with your full knowledge and you have planned for them. You decided when and how to lead these changes. However, there are changes you never planned and anticipated but you had to deal with them.

The pandemic is a crisis with a global scope. We didn’t plan for it. We have no control over how the virus transmits and which regions, persons, and age groups it should and it shouldn’t infect. We are helpless, at least right now.

Powerful countries that have well-developed security apparatuses were blindsided. They didn’t see it coming. They were stunned. Sadly, some leaders of powerful nations have become victims of the virus. This crisis hit even the most fortified palaces. The most advanced healthcare systems are broken and disarmed.

What differentiates crisis from other unplanned changes? What are the features of a crisis? Below are just the most common features of crises:

1. Sudden. They are sudden. We find ourselves suddenly impacted.
2. Uncontrolled. Crises are uncontrollable at many levels. We don’t initiative them but we cannot escape their direct and/or indirect impacts. We experience them or their impacts but we cannot control them. If we had control, we would have stopped this pandemic weeks ago. We don’t have a meaningful say and control in the way the crisis goes and ends.
3. Helpless and victims. Crisis makes us feel we are helpless and victims.

Regardless of these natures of a crisis, I don’t want you to feel like you are helpless and a victim of this pandemic. It is saddening many people have died. Many people are now sick and struggling to beat this invisible enemy.

Those of us who are alive and healthy, we should be thankful. We should pray and serve others as a way to show our gratitude. We should also support the men and women at the front line taking care of the victims of this brutal disease.

That being said, even if you don’t have control and may not have a meaningful say about what is happening in the world around you. But, you can control how you view it, and most importantly, how to respond to it. You can become fearful, hide, worry, complain, and spend countless hours contemplating the worst things that could happen on you and your loved ones.

Or, you step up and stand up to face this threat against humanity, and do something about it. It is already here. Without our permission, it’s ravaging people and economies. We can complain and at the end of the day lose to it or face it head-on and in the end, beat it and benefit from the experience what so ever bad experiences we have had so far and will have.

What I’m saying is that why don’t we view it as an opportunity? Why don’t we learn the weaknesses that made us vulnerable to this pandemic, come up with strategies, approaches, products, and services, not only to beat it now but also become even stronger to defeat any future pandemic? We have a choice of how to view and respond to this crisis.

In Episode 10, I talked about how we should view the current crisis as an opportunity. Yes, we didn’t cause it. We don’t have 100% control to dictate how it ends. It has come to threaten all of us and our well being. Yes indeed, it has come to put some of you out of business. Right, it may cause some of us to be ‘dethroned’. However, we can decide to view it as an opportunity, a steppingstone. We can step up in the face of this crisis to serve in the area of our passion to give our best.

For sure, a crisis comes on all of us. It doesn’t discriminate based on gender, race, ethnicity, age, or social status. It is a great equalizer. Unfortunately, only a few will come out the other side winners.

Believe me. Crises like this turn many underdogs into greats. Besides. when the dust settles, we will welcome many heroes and heroines. Don’t also forget that some will end up rich by responding to this crisis and becoming solutions. The question is: Would you like to be one of these by stepping up and bringing your best to serve your community?

These individuals view a crisis like eagles view storms. All birds hide in the face of a storm. That is not so with eagles. They rather use the opportunity to fly high effortlessly.

When a hurricane hits a region, there are trees that stand tall regardless of the damage their counterpart trees sustain. These last-standing trees are built to last a crisis like a hurricane.

What about you? Are you tapping into your reservoir and creativity to take your profession and business to the next level by coming up with practical products and/or services to fight the direct and indirect effects of this pandemic? Have you been working on your resilience so well that you cannot wait to test and demonstrate your ability to outlast and beat this crisis?

You have a choice of how you view this crisis.

I know, I’ll be criticized for saying this. We must be thankful to Crises like the current pandemic. Humanity wouldn’t have been where we are TODAY without crises keeping us on our toes. They challenge us to keep moving forward to unleash our greatness. We have untapped potential. The glorious days of humanity are ahead of us!

I encourage you to watch Episode 10- How to View Crisis. Once you watched it, let me know your thoughts. What do you like about this episode? Any lesson or insight you gained? If you have any question, let me know.

The follow-up 2 episodes will cover ‘What Kind of Leaders Do We Need During Crisis’, and ‘What MUST We should do During Crisis’? Don’t hesitate to send me if you have any questions that you would like me to answer in the upcoming episodes.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel if you haven’t yet so that you won’t miss future episodes. Like, leave your comments, and share it with those who may benefit from the show.

If you prefer to listen to the podcast version, here you go:

If you haven’t yet, connect with me on social media. Go to www.assegid.com and on the top left side, you will find the social media icons. I post multiple times a day inspirational and informative messages. Engage with me on social media and let the learning continues until we see each other again with another episode.

By the way, I also released an online course ‘Overcoming First-Timer Syndrome’ for Team Leads, Project Managers, Supervisors, and Business Owners. The course has 11 modules. Each module has 30 – 45 minutes of video teaching and a worksheet that summarizes the main discussion points, learning objectives plus lots of assignments. There are also some downloadable samples and templates. To learn more about the course, check out this page: https://www.successpws.com/first-timer