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A Crisis Doesn't End Until You Learn from It

November 11, 2003

"You learn a lot about people by how they deal with a catastrophe.  Some folks panic and make foolish decisions.  Some are paralyzed by the calamity and do nothing to respond to it.  Still others deny it, hoping that ignoring the problem will make it disappear.

Then, of course, there are people who are somehow enlarged by a crisis.  They take a disastrous turn of events as a personal challenge.  Like champion athletes who perform at their best in the big games, they become sharper, calmer, more alert, and more decisive.

Examine them closely and one fact emerges:  they didn't get that way overnight.  If you ask them, they'll tell you that they've faced many crises in their careers and they weren't always as composed in the beginning.  To them, each crisis was not only a challenge but also a learning experience, a chance to get slightly better and not repeat past mistakes.

The best people know that there are two phases in every crisis:  the one where you manage it and the other where you learn from it.  To succeed you have to do both (McCormack, 2000, p.176)."

Reference:  McCormack, M. H. (2000).  Never wrestle with a pig: and ninety other ideas to build your business and career.  New York:  Penguin Books.

What small moments are defining your character and reputation?

Never Wrestle with a Pig is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

Helpful Hint:  Looking for a past Leadership Moment?  Look no further...Leadership Moments is published on the OSU Leadership Center website.  Click on: <http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/Publications/Leadership_Moments/leadership_moments.htm>  and you'll have access to articles from 1999 to present.

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Created: 2008-12-22, Updated: 2009-01-07