John Stufflebeem on How Adversity = Opportunity

Adversity = opportunity.  I know this firsthand as fact.

There are many techniques taught in a variety of media to deal with crises whether they are through leadership training, public relations, or self improvement seminars, books, what have you.  But I learned simple techniques that worked even when I was in the most inhospitable reaches of the world with no apparent ways out.

In my experience, the most effective technique to deal with a significant challenge is an effects-based methodology known as Effects-Based Thinking.  To help you attain an outcome vision (team build), create a series of steps including the matching messages that go with them to get you from where you are to where you want to be (plan), and then measure the progress of yourself and your team with as many metrics as you can validate obtaining quick wins along the way to build momentum (execute)...YOU WILL SUCCEED.  The process actually repeats itself constantly even if only in review to develop resilience—a required skill of successful managers.


Effects-Based Thinking can be summarized in the following three steps:

1) OBJECTIVES


2) EFFECTS


3) ACTIONS

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."  - Albert Einstein

These 3 steps are set into motion through a series of questions and responses.  Even in a brief amount of time, one can understand and build a plan to turn challenges into opportunities by examining a set of issues—the ‘whats’ and ‘hows’—that help lead to the right solutions and success.



1)  OBJECTIVES 

Important questions to consider in this first step...

- What is/are the potential opportunities I want from this crisis* ? 


- What do I want the outcome to be or look like and how long do I think it will take to make it happen? 


- What can I do in the next few minutes or hours to make a start towards that outcome? 


- What are the steps we should build and what process or processes should we use or adopt to create a plan of action to guide us through to the desired outcome? 


- What are the assumptions that must be examined now and re-examined later?

* Opportunities are what you make of them and can include: a better position in the marketplace, a better advantage for your customer, correctly dealing with a product recall, avoiding impending financial disaster, a stronger company or division from adversity, and more. The point is to look for what doors are opened from a challenge—they are always there but how do you or your team members see them?



2)  EFFECTS 

Noteworthy questions for this second step...

- What steps or actions can I take to create a positive effect? 


- How can I position myself to be more effective in generating positive effects? 


- What positive effects can I create for those around me? 


- How can I mobilize those on my team to get them into action? 


- What is the plan of action that will create the effects I need? 


- How should I communicate my plan and who should receive it?



3)  ACTIONS

Key questions for our third and final step...

- What are the factors that I can control and what are those that I cannot? 


- What aspects of this situation can I directly influence to change the course of events? 


- What would a manager or leader I admire do in this situation? 


- Who on my team can help and what is the best way to get that person (or persons) on my team? 


- How do I figure out or assume the specific causes of the situation and contain them? 


- What do I do to reduce the downside of the situation, even by a few percent, and what do I do to maximize the upside, even by a few percent? 


- How can I get quick wins to build confidence and foster more to the tip-over point? 


- What are the resources and strengths I – and my team – need to have or develop to address this situation? 


- What are the things I can do – and my team collectively – to minimize the damage and turn this challenge into opportunity?



SOME ALONE TIME IS GOOD

In the initial stage of your challenge take a finite amount of time—between 15-60 minutes, but limit it in any event—to go over these questions and write down answers. Do it in solitude and have your team members do the same; the best creative thoughts come from individuals, not from groups.

Ever notice that you normally come up with your best ideas in the shower, or driving to/from work, before tweeting or spending time on Facebook or during a workout?  Later, get the team together and share answers to build the outline of a plan of actions. In my experience, you save vastly more time doing it this way than trying to build a plan from group-think.

While advocates for strategic communications and crisis management argue for pre-planned responses and checklists [some will even sell you theirs] my experience from the world over is that human nature will cause managers to hope for the best in advance and deal with the worst when it happens. Some have never dealt with real challenge in their meteoric rise to their elevated positions and others have been bailed out by supervisors who took ownership of the problems.

But the best I have seen, those who are truly extraordinary take on challenges as opportunities and revel in it. They grow faster and in ways they have not imagined and they have trained themselves or build a resilience to be better prepared for the next one. From my experiences and by the example of others, I have come to look forward to adversity for just those reasons...I get smarter, more confident, and actually find exhilaration in turning tough challenges into success.

For me, there is tremendous personal and professional satisfaction and reward in crisis management and strategic communications. It can be this way for you too but until you achieve that level of confidence, this is a simple, logical way to focus your energies and turn challenges into opportunities.