Crisis Management: A Proactive Approach

Crisis Management: A Proactive Approach

Seven years ago, Tim Elmore experienced an incredible level of customer service while flying home. His airline, recognizing him as a loyal customer who had just crossed two million miles, pulled out all the stops—upgraded seats, champagne, a personal visit from the pilot, and public recognition over the intercom. It was the epitome of service excellence, clearly the result of staff training and preparedness for such milestones.

Fast forward to his recent trip home from Hawaii, and the same airline showed a startling contrast. Delayed flights and a canceled departure led to an overnight stay—except there was no help, no plan, and certainly no customer service. Passengers were left to fend for themselves in a cold, outdoor baggage claim area with no available hotels or transportation. What went wrong? According to Elmore, it wasn't a lack of empathy or concern—it was a lack of training for crisis management.

(Reference: "When We Fail to Train, We Usually Fail to Manage Crises Well" by Tim Elmore, Founder of Growing Leaders, Inc., September 30, 2024 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-we-fail-train-usually-manage-crises-well-tim-elmore-xnpne/ )

This story highlights a crucial point: proper training can make or break an organization’s response during times of crisis.

Crisis Management is Like Being a Fire Chief
Crisis management isn’t just about handling disasters in the moment; it’s about being prepared long before they occur. In many ways, it’s like the role of a fire chief. Fire chiefs don’t just rush to the scene with a hose when the alarm sounds—they build systems, implement policies, and train their teams to prevent fires in the first place. Their success is measured not only by how effectively they extinguish fires but also by how few fires break out.

The best fire chiefs create environments where the chance of a fire is minimal because they’ve put in place proactive measures. Similarly, in business, the best leaders don’t just manage crises well—they ensure their teams are trained to prevent them from happening in the first place. It’s all about foresight, preparation, and empowering teams with the tools they need.

The Importance of Proactive Training
Elmore’s article is a powerful reminder of how critical training is in equipping teams for both the good times and the challenging ones. As he reflects, when his two-million-mile milestone occurred, the staff had clearly been trained for the occasion, and their execution was flawless. But when the unexpected happened—an overnight delay with no assistance—there was no training to handle the situation, and as a result, chaos ensued.

Just as the best fire chiefs don’t wait for a blaze to erupt before preparing, the best leaders don’t wait for a crisis to hit before training their teams. When organizations fail to train, they fail to manage crises well.

Final Thoughts
Crisis management is much more than a reactive process. It’s about planning, training, and creating an environment where crises are rare. Like fire chiefs, we should focus on building systems that prevent crises in the first place. And when they do occur, our teams should be ready—not just to put out the fire, but to prevent the next one.

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