Finding Clarity in Crisis

Over the past 10 days, my computer network has been hit not once, but twice with glitches that have left me technically challenged.  On the first occasion, I spent the entire day trying to stay one step ahead of my web server. Making fast decisions and quick changes I managed to fumble my way through in fits and starts. Five days later, I found myself staring into the abyss of an unresponsive computer. CONTROL-ALT-DELETE not working here, I’m afraid. In fact, none of my commands registered, no matter what I tried. “Will someone get IT on the phone, please?”

This time instead of working faster and harder to get back “online,” I chose to welcome the “break” and spend some time doing ground work. I let go of my natural desire to have everything fixed and working at top speed and scheduled in some quality reflection time. Over the course of three days, I engaged in a refreshing and vigorous schedule of strategic contemplation and reflection, and found that I gained clarity on some pressing issues and discovered new opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise have seen.

“Command and control” is what many business leaders default to in a crisis, especially you Type-A’s. It’s completely natural to want to get out of a crisis as quickly as possible. But sometimes, command and control just won’t do.  In fact our desire to rush through a crisis with the least amount of friction possible often causes more problems. I’ve witnessed too many cases where the fast decisions and quick changes of yesterday go on to become the crises of tomorrow.

Does your company know how to facilitate individual and collective contemplation in the midst of the storm? I’m not talking about day-dreaming in front of the computer or doodling during another one of those recession-planning meetings. I’m talking about strategic contemplation that:

• Engages the whole,
• Reveals the unknown,
• Brings deeper insight and clarity to the known
• Clears the air of suspicion, stress and toxicity, and
• Brings stakeholders (management, staff, clients, customers, and partners) closer together.