Do You Maintain Composure in Business?

Good crisis management involves tapping into your emotional intelligence

In a recent Chicago Tribune article, “Lessons from KitchenAid: Even the worst social media mistakes are preventable,” Scott Kleinberg presented an example of how to respond in the face of potential business crisis. Featured was the story of a tweet posted during the recent U.S. presidential election debate, to the official KitchenAid Twitter account that read, “Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! She died 3 days b4 he became president.’ #nbcpolitics

What was your first reaction when you read this? Did you think it was a joke or a mistake? As it turns out the tweet was made in error; intended to be posted to a private Twitter account. Mistakes happen. We are all human, but sometimes what defines us is not our mistakes but how we respond to them.

In the case of KitchenAid the response involved publically acknowledging and apologizing for the error, a response described by Kleinberg as quick and calm.” Whether or not you agree with the response, and there were those who felt the response unnecessary and others who wanted more, the response demonstrated an understanding of emotional intelligence (EI), which is sometimes also called emotion quotient (EQ).

What Would You Do?

Imagine if this happened to your business, how would you have reacted? Would you have ignored it, reacted with anger, embarrassment or defensiveness? Is it possible you would have overreacted or underreacted? How you react privately and then how you respond publically demonstrate your EI.

Your ability to recognize and manage your own emotional reactions to situations is a key aspect of EI. First reactions can be powerful triggers of first responses. Are some people naturally better at maintaining composure under pressure? Perhaps, but EI is something you can improve with practice. In the case of KitchenAid, we do not know the initial private reaction nor do we know who crafted the public response, but somewhere along the line someone tapped into a little EI.

Four Steps to Manage a Crisis

The next time you are faced with a challenging situation keep in mind the following four steps as you craft your response:

1. This first one you can probably guess: Stop, take a breath and think before you say or do anything. Have you heard of the term mindfulness? Mindfulness requires you to be fully engaged in the moment. You cannot do this if you do not notice what is around you. This includes attending to your own emotions, the place, people and situation.
2. Gather information. Before acting you must ensure you have accurate information, a broad scope of information, and the opportunity to consider and process the information. This need not take long, as sometimes you have to respond quickly, but it should occur.
3. Consult with and listen to others who can provide an objective assessment. If you are in a leadership role, especially in a small business, you may find it difficult to find someone to talk with. Options to consider include working with a mentor or a coach who can provide you with that objective viewpoint.
4. Respond with clarity and confidence. Once you have measured the situation, assessed your own reaction and determined a plan of action you need to act. Once you act, do not retreat. Part of being composed is being able to recognize the need to re-assess and begin this process again.

Mindfulness and Composure

The next time you are faced with a challenging situation keep in mind the idea of maintaining composure; being mindful of even the word may help you deliver a more emotionally intelligent response.