5 Steps to Show Leadership in Crisis with Jackie Werblo

The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t been easy for anyone, but leaders and executives charged with charting the path forward for their companies have had plenty on their mind.

Luckily, there are ways to get through these difficult moments and begin to rebound mentally and economically, said Jackie Werblo, Founder and Head Coach of CONVEX Leadership.

Werblo has five steps that show leadership during a crisis. The first is take action and eliminate reaction.

“I think it’s no different than in any life situation. If you sit back too long, the opportunity is missed. The window of opportunity closes,” Werblo said. “Yes, another door may open, another window may open, but that first person through gets to set the standard of what’s expected.”

The second is to be prepared to act when you have 60-70% of the facts you need.

The third step is to be willing to pivot or correct course when more information becomes available. Werblo pointed out that expert pilots are comfortable course-correcting on long-haul flights, and executives should be just as nimble.

The fourth step is to over-communicate.

“There is no such thing as too much communication during a period of crisis, because people want to hear, or they will make stuff up,” Werblo said. “If people make stuff up, what you have is a problem with miscommunication or misinformation or false information at its worst.”

The fifth and final step is to be courageous.

If leaders are able to put all five steps into action, Werblo said, they’ll be dealing with a workplace that is much more prepared to face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and much more likely to have success in achieving the company’s goals.