Managing Through a Personal Crisis (Part 1 of 2)
June 17th, 2007This cast gives managers specific steps to take when dealing with a personal crisis of a direct report.
Mark once heard a manager say that when one of his directs started crying, he simply “gave them some tissue and walked out.” Even though he prided himself on being a tough-minded, results oriented, very successful manager, at some level he knew that his response was too callous, too cold. When Mark looked at him, mouth agape, he immediately backpedaled and said something to the effect of, “well, I’m giving them space…I don’t want them to be embarrassed . . . I appreciate their need for privacy . . . I didn’t want them thinking I was evaluating them right then.”
All delivered with that delicate edge of panic that comes from defending the indefensible. Your directs have lives outside of work, and as often as you will ask them to stay late, to do more, to answer emails on the weekend . . . every once in a while, THEIR lives are going to herniate into YOUR work.
What do you do as a manager when one of your team has a crisis? When their spouse is hurt or hospitalized? When their house burns down? When someone’s parent passes away?
We’ll tell you in this cast.
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June 22nd, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Great cast M&M,
Because we are not taught how to deal with crises we revert back to our personal life and family dealings for guidance. This is usually OK for what you term events.
I have found that being professional while being caring can be a strength to an employee in crisis. Be clear with what help is available and how you are going to behave in this crisis. The employee now has boundaries for a large part of their normal day defined and hopefully spends less time concerned with their job or peers and concetrates on dealing with the crisis. If the crisis is great you and the company don’t figure in their thinking. This is OK short term. Personal crisis is another big ball. Harsh sounding but essential. Consider family heads in time of tragedy. Families still need fed, bills still need to be paid.
I feel crisis is a time of bonding. An employee who has been treated well will give a lot more effort in picking up afterwards. They will also tend to be more positve when a crisis hits elsewhere.
Chris
June 25th, 2007 at 2:43 am
Mike and Mark,
Great podcast. The solutions given are very practical. I was at the other end. (I had to undergo a major emergency surgery in 3 days notice and was away for 4 weeks, about 2 years back). The way my manager handled the situation was exactly like you described. She was caring for me with followup’s thro calls to my wife and communication and informing team of my progress on a need to know basis. At the same time, she worked out back up plans as well as issues that need to be addressed in my absence. I also had a consultation with her as to who in my team can fit in for a what role before I got hospitalized. ( I was covering a regional responsibility with 3 countries and 20 sites in South Asia in MFG function and she is the Asia Pacific function head). Things went exactly to plan in those 4 weeks. (Fortunately, there was no mergers or acquisitions in that time, this American company is known to be trend setter in buy-in on a fast pace, so there were no big strategic planning needed at that time). Yes, my team did a fabulous job too, they never let her down at any stage.
Of course, this even triggered me to have a loyalty to stick to that organization for as much as I can. When you are in a developing economy like India, the opportunities that come your way for your growth and developments are mind boggling, that at some stage you consider all the other factors and you decide to change job. This is what happened, after after 1 year to me. Of course, I am in still in touch with my Ex Manager based out Australia. When I resigned,I did my best from my side by serving the full notice period to finish all the pending tasks (My present manager now based in UK, fully agreed to my request to join them after 3 months, this too is a world class organization, a fortune 30 company) as well as helping them to find a successor for my position.
Regards
Karthik.
Bangalore. India
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:57 am
Karthik-
Great note! Thank you.
We didn’t talk about the long term value of the manager who is compassionate in times of crisis, but you’ve given us a great example of it.
It’s a privilege!
Mark
July 14th, 2007 at 1:46 am
I am a chaplain in the Army. Compassion and caring for people is my business. I really appreciated what was shared here. Caring for hurting people is everyone’s responsibility, but a manager must focus on the mission of the business. Every company should have people in an EAP or industrial chaplaincy to take care of the emotional and benefit support in times of trial. Ideally, a person would have their own support system (I’m partial to clergy and religious congregations for some reason) to help them in their time of need. But managers needs to let others fill the role of care-giver as much as possible IMHO.
-Jim+
July 14th, 2007 at 3:01 am
Jim-
Well said. We think that the EAP or industrial chaplain ought to be:
the Manager.
Mark