Take Control of Your Life During a Crisis

You won't take control of your life by screaming in other people's ears. Sometimes a whisper can amount to a "loud" voice in the workplace; especially during a crisis..

Let's put it another way-it's not how loud you say it, it's what you have to say and how you say it.

Suppose you work on the twenty-first floor of a building and a fellow employee races into your office and screams, "The building is on fire!"

Suppose again that you are on the same twenty first floor of a building and the fellow employee calmly walks into your office and says, "A fire has broken out on the first floor but the fire truck is on the way. As a precaution they are evacuating the building so we should use the emergency stairwell."

Well, you might not feel good either way but don't you think the second scenario was a better example of how your fellow employee took better control over the situation?

Taking control is often about making the most of a bad situation. Consider how you would respond (in a calm, pointed and meaningful way) to the following crises:

1. The boss calls you into the office after receiving a customer complaint.
2. During a group meeting the subject of a design flaw (on a project you worked on) comes up.
3. After a "fender bender" involving several cars the driver at fault claims you caused the accident.

All three of the examples above beg for more information but before you proceed you need to confront the root of the problem: Did I cause the customer complaint? Was my design work involved in the flaw? Is there any way I could have been at fault in the accident? Don't blame and don't shift the responsibilities; take responsibility.

Once you have established your position (in your heart) take control by asking pointed questions in a calm manner, designed to uncover the facts. If it was something you did that caused the root problem be prepared to admit it, discuss a solution, and get on with your life (people will forgive a mistake but not when you try to hide it).

Taking control of your life involves many things and this article has touched on one aspect of it.

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