The entire world has been talking about one thing these last few weeks – Coronavirus. As more people get sick and new countries are affected, people all over the world are thinking about what will happen next. Where will it spread? Will authorities be able to contain it? Last week, we received notice of the first ILI Training Event cancellation. At least two of our Asian ILI leaders had to suspend public worship services at their churches. As an international team that has to travel often, we are already in “crisis management mode,” probably a couple weeks later than we should have been.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Leaders can’t afford to run away from crisis, they are called to manage it. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term as:
The actions that are taken to deal with an emergency or difficult situation in an organized way.
Do you agree with me that the final words are the most important? Every leader reacts when there is a crisis, but the best ones are proactive. Instead of waiting until the crisis gets to them, they have already planned to respond “in an organized way.”
Five Proactive Things We Can Do:
Some of it is just common sense, some comes from management science. Here are 5 actions we can take to proactively respond to any crisis that hits us, whether it is a local incident or a pandemic.
Act Quickly. At ILI, we are beginning to have a conversation about how to adapt our work to the current crisis. The sooner you have a plan and begin implementing it, the better chances your team will have to weather the storm and even thrive in the midst of a crisis.
Determine Priorities. During a crisis, individuals and organizations go into “survival mode.” It is paramount to determine the most important thing we need to preserve during a serious crisis situation. In this case, people’s lives. An example of this is the cancellation of public events all over the world. Major conventions, band tours, even the Vatican’s daily audience with the Pope are being canceled or postponed to protect lives and try to stop the spread of the virus.
Identify Stakeholders and Create a Response Team. This can be as simple as making a list of people or organizations that could be affected and meet with a group of leaders to identify major threats and decide what to do next.
Create Clear Communication Channels. Transparency is required in moments of crisis. The creation of communication channels can make sure every stakeholder has all the information needed to make local decisions. Some analysts say the current crisis could be averted or at least minimized if there had been more transparency and clear communication in the beginning.
Monitor the Situation Constantly. Things can change in a minute. As I write this post, world financial markets are taking a hard tumble, Italy has quarantined a large portion of its territory, and just a minute ago, I read about Israel’s imposing quarantine to every traveler. All of these measures are unprecedented.
This list is far from exhaustive. From the little research I have done to prepare for this, I could write several more pages and make my action list much longer, but I am committed to making this a short read. I encourage you to do your own research. Beware of conspiracy theories and sensational headlines, but don’t ignore the facts.
GOD IS WITH US
Finally, this is not the first and won’t be the last global crisis we face. God will be with us through this season, however, it affects our leadership and our ability to serve.
Data and information are essential for knowing how effective your organization or ministry is, but knowing the right data to measure is the most important key to your success.