Crisis: Danger or Opportunity?
I have often heard motivational speakers say that the word crisis in Chinese means both danger and opportunity. In investigating the facts, I have found running arguments on the web as to whether or not this is true. I personally do not speak Chinese and am certainly not an expert on this matter.
But whether itâ??s true or not, this I know to be true; a crisis is an opportunity. Itâ??s all in how you view it. And how you view it, makes all the difference.
I can only speak from my own experience, so let me share my own story. I recently faced a business crisis. My first physical reaction was one of stress. All kinds of thoughts went through my head and most of them were in the form of questions. Andrew Morrison, founder of Small Business Camp(www.smallbusinesscamp.com) says â??Questions are sometimes more powerful than answers.â??
Why? Because the questions you ask will determine the solutions you seek and they can turn a crisis into an opportunity. How so? Letâ??s take the common questions many business owners probably ask themselves.
1. Why is this happening to me?
2. Am I in the wrong business?
3. Why is/are he/she/they doing this to me?
4. What did I do wrong?
5. Why didnâ??t I see that coming?
These questions promote answers that are full of blame, self-doubt, rash decisions and feelings of victimization. They do not lend themselves to quality solutions and promote stress. We all know that stress kills! An article called â??Stressâ?? on the American Diabetes Associationâ??s website (www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/stress.jsp) says, â??Stress hormones that are designed to deal with short-term danger stay turned on for a long timeâ??. Another story on Fox News entitled â??Did Sept. 11 Cause Heart Attacks? â?? (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,103030,00.html) states â??stress increases the risk of heart attacks and arrhythmiaâ??.
When facing a crisis donâ??t respond with a knee-jerk reaction. Take a moment to breathe and relax. It is more than likely not a danger requiring a fight or flight response. Fight or flight responses have their place. But they should only be used where they are needed like getting out of the way of a speeding vehicle or getting away from some other immediate life threatening danger. As long as you are not facing a situation like this, take a moment! You owe it to yourself.
Now make a paradigm shift, changing your view of the situation. Sometimes we take things very personally. We view a comment or an action as a personal affront. But there can be a million reasons as to why something is happening to you and none of it may be related to anything you have done or said and may be motivated by something going on with the other party. Donâ??t take it personally.
A crisis may be an opportunity for you to change or improve, create better procedures or even make a life change. The events of 9/11 were a terrible tragedy. We all agree on that. However, it became an opportunity for this country to examine its current operating procedures and security, asking better questions of its leaders and requiring people to pay closer attention to whatâ??s happening at home and abroad. Many people, once passive or indifferent, are now actively working on making this country and the world a better place.
If the country can face such a devastating event like 9/11 and still pick up the pieces as a whole, make changes and hopefully move in a better direction, then why not you? It all begins with asking better questions from the beginning. Be aware of what you are saying to yourself and change the direction if itâ??s not positive. This is not burying your head in the sand, this is setting yourself up to take immediate action in the right direction.
Now letâ??s look at a list of three solution-oriented questions:
1. What would be the best way for me to handle this?
2. How can I make to prevent this from happening again?
3. What should I do for myself so that I can move forward?
Your self-talk can spur you to success with action or cut you off at the pass and kill progressive solutions. Robert Kiyosaki, of Rich Dad Poor Dad fame, says "Don't say that you "can't" afford it... say, how "can" I afford it." This approach spurs you to a solution. The other approach shuts you down.
A great tactic, if this crisis involves someone else, would be to ask for a moment if possible. Genuinely promise to address the situation and get back to them at a specific time or day. This gives you a chance to regroup and come up with a viable solution.
For me, taking this approach was a chance for me to do something I knew I needed to do. Create more detailed procedures and processes. It opened the way for growth in my business. But the most noticeable personal benefit was that it changed the way I physically felt and created a relaxed, less stressed business owner with a positive attitude toward the future and positive, productive solutions. I challenge you to try this approach the next time you face a crisis and see if it can work for you.
Gayle Santana is the owner of The PVS Network and The PVS Network Virtual Call Center helping business owners everywhere focus on the bottom line! http://www.pvsnetwork.com; gayle@pvsnetwork.com
 Google News Updated : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:56:09 GMT House Race Is Shaken by Report of an Affair - New York Times
New York Times - By IAN URBINA WASHINGTON - The Florida congressman who succeeded Mark Foley after he resigned because of a sex scandal is now embroiled in a sex scandal of his own, and has requested a Congressional ethics investigation to clear his name. A Florida (House) Bombshell House to investigate lawmaker for alleged affair, ethics lapse Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:20:36 GMT Asian, European Markets Continue Upbeat Rally - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Blaine Harden TOKYO, Oct. 14 -- Feverish buying in Japan on Tuesday replaced last week's market panic, as the benchmark Nikkei stock index soared to its largest-ever percentage gain in a single day, up 14.15 percent -- part of a global rally in ... Video: Asia Markets Mostly Up Monday World Markets Reflect Growing Hope Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:11:14 GMT Kashkari Leaps From Obscurity to Lead Role in US Bank Rescue - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Robert Schmidt and Rebecca Christie Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Minutes before Neel Kashkari's public debut as the chief of the US Treasury's financial rescue plan, he sat in a hotel lobby in Washington, unrecognized by many of the international bankers ... What Treasury is planning After Historic Rally, Feds To Buy Bank Ownerships Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:57:34 GMT Cambodia: Thailand withdraws troops from border - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Thai troops retreated from a disputed border zone Tuesday, a Cambodian general said, averting a possible military clash after Cambodia's prime minister issued an ultimatum to Thailand to withdraw by midday. Thai army to maintain troops in disputed area Thailand, Cambodia spar over border troop positions Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:51:31 GMT Milk, Sunshine Each Day Keep the Doctor Away - Washington Post
Washington Post - · Kids from newborns to teenagers should take twice as much Vitamin D as previously recommended because it may help prevent serious disease, a leading medical group said yesterday. Video: HealthWatch More tenacious about vitamin D Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:17:28 GMT Berlusconi Shares Investor Pain With $2 Billion Loss (Update2) - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Andrew Davis and Lorenzo Totaro Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi promises Italians they won't lose ``even a euro'' of their bank accounts in the current credit crisis. Video: Bush Says He Will Help US Banks Bush To Speak About $250 Billion Banking Rescue Plan Monday Morning Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:46:59 GMT North Korea to resume nuclear dismantlement - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea planned to resume dismantling its nuclear program Tuesday for the first time in two months, days after the United States removed the communist regime from a terrorism blacklist as a reward under a disarmament pact. IAEA: N. Korea disabling set for Tuesday North Korean foreign minister set for nuclear talks in Moscow Publ.Date : Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:11:42 GMT Increase Website Traffic |
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