Business owners always Say every company has to go through a real crisis before it becomes a real business. All the big companies we know have had a few big crises in their lifetime, and they’re still in the game. There are many studies on the web about crisis management, but none of them tell us how to manage a company during a war.
Our company has never seen a real crisis before February 2022. However, even before we did, I told my team, “Every company has its moments in the sun and moments of adversity.”
In the year When the Russo-Ukrainian war broke out on February 24, all Ukrainian businesses were hit hard. I will use our example to explain how we handle it.
Here are six tips for effectively managing a team in wartime.
Establish an emergency communication channel
In times of such upheaval, people want more up-to-date information about what is happening. When people don’t know what’s going on, a vacuum is created filled with rumors or misinformation.
To avoid this, you should establish a special communication channel that works around the clock. For example, delayed notifications can automatically go off outside of business hours, so make sure you use a channel that your team uses most often so they’re less likely to miss important notifications.
This may seem like a simple and obvious step, but it’s the most efficient way to help your team when they’re feeling lost or confused, only when a war breaks out in their neighborhood.
Meet with your team twice
Training to manage stress, anxiety, and personal finances can help your employees build the necessary knowledge and ability to respond to difficult situations.
Great leaders connect with their people, and we all need to remember that “over communication is good communication.”
For us, this statement has never been more true. Get in touch frequently with updates on the issue, but no less than twice a day. Also, follow your usual rules for group communication: be honest, empathetic, and humane.
Finally, in times of severe crisis, many people’s critical thinking faculties can be stifled. In such situations, you may have to explain things to your team more than usual. Don’t fail this responsibility. If your team wants to hold his hand, be there to hold it. It gives long-term results and helps you manage the problem from the initial days until things settle down.
Stop investing in R&D and put people back to work quickly
As a leader, you must save your business because it is something people can rely on in times of uncertainty. The first thing you need to do here is to save as much money as you can to stay in business. This often means cutting unnecessary costs. This can be a tough decision, but it’s a sacrifice you have to make.
Once our team was in a safe place, the best course of action was to get them back to work and help them calm down. It sounds strange, but this is the best way to manage the stress and nervous energy of war. At work, where everything is known, ordered and straightforward, people find stability and a continuous sense of purpose.
In my experience, the first wave of problems is the most difficult because of high uncertainty. However, once you get past that stage, there will be a few variables that still apply when you return to investment activities.
Use your standard remote work policy
When the war broke out, it was very difficult to manage the team and re-establish our business processes. So we waited to do this after our team was evacuated and safely removed from the site.
Proven remote policies have been a lifesaver when our employees are away from their usual locations. No one underestimates the value of team spirit, so invest in it more because people need each other’s support even more during a big conflict. Among online team building activities, AR activities have improved the sense of wonder.
Conduct special training to support your team
Crises are, thankfully, rare, but it means that people often lack the intelligence to handle the extraordinary information that overwhelms them in such situations.
In such situations, you should do the following:
- Educate people by conducting special training with the help of experts. Training to manage stress, anxiety, and personal finances can help your employees build the necessary knowledge and ability to respond to difficult situations. The Center for Strategic Communication of Ukraine has created a guide on how to identify and help with mental health problems, entitled “Psychological support during the war”.
- Invite successful and respected people to share positive thoughts on the situation, and perhaps explain how they overcame particularly difficult times. Authority bias is real and acts as a morale booster when a team needs direction and understands that things will turn out for the better.
- Share relevant positive news to inspire your team and create a vision for a better future.
Connect business goals with social initiatives
When war broke out, people wanted to help. This was good, but we realized that it could affect the focus on work and ultimately lead the business further into a serious crisis. At this point, put your over-the-top explanation tool on Step 1 and teach people how your company’s success benefits the community.
As a result of your team’s performance at work, your company can invest more resources in philanthropic initiatives when growth or profitability is expected or improved. As a result, your team can work harder and have more resources to do something worthwhile for the community.
This should have no effect on your current OKR system because your company’s goals will remain the same. However, the group’s interests have changed – instead of a nice barbecue, they now invest the money saved in something useful for the wider community. Statistics show that when a company is driven by purpose, 76% of respondents are more likely to trust that company.
Volunteering has become an important part of our team’s activities. For example, we arrange donations, we need equipment, we provide soldiers and we provide the necessary materials to people in disaster areas.
Every company faces a crisis caused by a combination of unique factors. Again, the tips I’ve provided here apply to any problematic situation. Don’t forget to take a strong leadership position and be empathetic with your team.
