This morning I was talking with a client who had just navigated herself through a crisis. She was hosting a big event and just before the event was to take place, she discovered that one of the three team members was missing a certification, and the event could not proceed until this problem had been solved. Sara responded quickly, and was able to find someone with the proper certification to lead the event. She didn’t panic…she acted.
Shortly after I began my career, I heard an axiom that I have never forgotten: “If we are suddenly in a crisis situation, we will respond in the manner in which we have been trained.” If we haven’t had training, we will panic.
One of my favorite examples of how strong training can pay off happened on July 20, 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had just landed on the moon. It was a thrilling moment in US history. Later on, we learned that the astronauts had a mechanical problem after landing. They discovered a broken circuit breaker switch on the Lunar Module. The switch was needed to send power to the ascent engine. If they failed to fix it, they would have remained on the moon!
Keeping a cool head, Armstrong and Aldrin used a small, felt-tipped pen to fix the broken switch. It worked! They returned safely to the Command Module.
Think of your own business or organization. Do you need to host a CPR class or a fire drill? Are you prepared to have your wits about you in a panic situation? If there is something we need to do to be more prepared, we need to take action!
