Managing Change During Unexpected Crises

Land the plane. If you’re in it right now, dealing with a missed goal, a major bug, a failed launch, or an angry keystone customer, this is for you. In a crisis, panic and confusion spread fast. Everyone wants answers. The team needs clarity and direction. Without it, morale drops and execution stalls. This is when great operators step up. They cut through noise, anchor to facts, find leverage, and get to work. Your job is to reduce ambiguity, direct energy, and focus the team. Create tangible progress while others spin. Goal #1: Bring the plane down safely. Here’s how to lead through it. Right now: 1. Identify the root cause. Fast. Don’t start without knowing what broke. Fixing symptoms won’t fix the problem. You don’t have time to be wrong twice. 2. Define success. Then get clear on what’s sufficient. What gets us out of the crisis? What’s the minimum viable outcome that counts as a win? This isn’t the time for nice-to-haves. Don’t confuse triage with polish. 3. Align the team. Confusion kills speed. Be explicit about how we’ll operate: Who decides what. What pace we’ll move at. How we’ll know when we’re done Set the system to direct energy. 4. Get moving. Pull the people closest to the problem. Clarify the root cause. Identify priority one. Then go. Get a quick win on the board. Build momentum. Goal one is to complete priority one. That’s it. 5. Communicate like a quarterback Lead the offense. Make the calls. Own the outcome. Give the team confidence to execute without hesitation. Reduce latency. Get everyone in one thread or room. Set fast check-ins. Cover off-hours. Keep signal ahead of chaos. 6. Shrink the loop. Move to 1-day execution cycles. What did we try? What happened? What’s next? Short loops create momentum. Fast learning is fast winning. 7. Unblock the team (and prep the company to help). You are not a status collector. You are a momentum engine. Clear paths. Push decisions. Put partner teams on alert for support. Crises expose systems. And leaders. Your job is to land the plane. Once it’s down, figure out what failed, what needs to change, and how we move forward. Land the plane. Learn fast. Move forward. That’s how successful operators lead through it.

Organizational Trauma: The Recovery Killer Your Change Plan Ignores After Capital One's 2019 data breach exposing 100 million customers' information, leadership rushed to transform: new security platforms, restructured teams, revised processes. Despite urgent implementation, adoption lagged, talent departed, and security improved more slowly than expected. What they discovered—and what I've observed repeatedly in financial services—is that organizations can experience collective trauma that fundamentally alters how they respond to change. 🪤 The Post-Crisis Change Trap When institutions experience significant disruption, standard change management often fails. McKinsey's research shows companies applying standard OCM to traumatized workforces see only 23% transformation success, compared to 64% for those using trauma-informed approaches. ❌ Why Traditional OCM Fails After Crisis Hypervigilance: Organizations that have experienced crisis develop heightened threat sensitivity. Capital One employees reported spending time scanning for threats rather than innovating. Trust Erosion: After their breach, Capital One faced profound trust challenges—not just with customers, but internally as well. Employees questioned decisions they previously took for granted. Identity Disruption: The crisis challenged Capital One's self-perception as a technology leader with superior security. 💡 The Trauma-Informed Change Approach Capital One eventually reset their approach, following a different sequence: 1. Safety First (Before planning transformation) - Created psychological safety through transparent communication - Established consistent leadership presence - Acknowledged failures without scapegoating 2. Process the Experience (Before driving adoption) - Facilitated emotional-processing forums - Documented lessons without blame - Rebuilt institutional trust through consistent follow-through 3. Rebuild Capacity (Before expecting performance) - Restored core capabilities focused on team recovery - Invested in resilience support resources - Developed narrative incorporating the crisis 4. Transform (After rebuilding capacity) - Created new organizational identity incorporating the crisis - Shifted from compliance to values-based approach - Developed narrative of strength through adversity 5. Post-Crisis Growth - Built resilience from the experience - Established deeper stakeholder relationships - Transformed crisis into competitive advantage Only after these steps did Capital One successfully implement their changes, achieving 78% adoption—significantly higher than similar post-breach transformations. 🔮 The fundamental insight: Crisis recovery isn't just about returning to normal—organizations that address trauma can transform crisis into opportunity. Have you experienced transformation after organizational crisis? What trauma-informed approaches have you found effective? #CrisisRecovery #ChangeManagement #OrganizationalResilience

Markets were in chaos. Jamie Dimon sent a memo that calmed everyone. Here’s why great leaders overcommunicate in uncertainty: 👇 September 15, 2008. Lehman Brothers collapsed. The Dow dropped 500 points. Clients pulled billions from JPMorgan in panic. Inside the bank, fear spread. That’s when Jamie Dimon did something rare. He admitted what he didn’t know. His memo listed 3 unknowns and 3 certainties - no corporate spin. “We don’t yet know the full extent of counterparty exposure. But we do know our capital ratios remain strong at 8.9%.” Most CEOs wait for perfect clarity. Dimon understood the truth: people fear silence more than bad news. So he built a rhythm. The 3-3-1 Model: Every 72 hours, staff received an update with: • 3 things leadership knew • 3 things they were investigating • 1 concrete action being taken This gave people anchors in the storm. When asked about layoffs, Dimon said: “I can’t guarantee no changes. But I guarantee you’ll hear it from me first - not the Wall Street Journal.” He held daily 7am calls with division heads - not to micromanage, but to gather ground truth. He added a section called “What’s Still Working” to each update. To remind teams: the core still holds. And it worked. While rivals vanished, JPMorgan acquired Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. Their stock rebounded faster than any peer. A senior risk manager later said: “Jamie’s updates weren’t always good news. But knowing someone was actively steering made all the difference.” This is the paradox of crisis leadership: When uncertainty rises, most leaders go quiet. But silence creates a vacuum, and fear rushes in. The best leaders do the opposite: • Communicate at 2x the normal frequency • Label incomplete info clearly • Focus on what you’re doing, not just what’s happening Because in chaos, your team doesn’t need certainty. They need to know you’re present, thinking, and leading. Want more research-backed insights on leadership? Join 11,000+ leaders who get our weekly newsletter: 👉 https://lnkd.in/en9vxeNk

5 Leadership Lessons from My Time at Sony Pictures Entertainment  How to Lead Through Crisis, even if you're facing unprecedented challenges. Here's the exact framework I developed during my 11 years at Sony Pictures, tested during one of the most significant cyber attacks in corporate history. Some called it 'The Adaptive Leadership Blueprint.' 1- Data-Driven Decisiveness ↳ When hackers compromised our systems in 2014,  ↳ we lost access to over 100 terabytes of data.  ↳ We didn't need complex technology to respond. Instead, we established a common language and relied on straightforward data insights to make quick, informed decisions. This approach helped us minimize our recovery times and costs. We did not lose out on deals, and we did not sell things we didn’t have. Data was abundant, for those with the experience to interpret it. 2- Collaborative Innovation ↳ We united creative and analytical minds across departments to solve unprecedented challenges.  ↳ When traditional communication channels were compromised,  ↳ we had to innovate - even reverting to fax machines.  ↳ This crisis proved to me that diverse perspectives lead to exceptional solutions. 3- Cultural Intelligence ↳ Leading global teams taught me that understanding cultural nuances isn't optional—it's essential.  ↳ we learned that cultural sensitivity becomes a strategic advantage when coordinating responses across different regions. 4- Adaptive Response ↳ The hack forced us to pivot rapidly.  ↳ We transformed our entire operation overnight,  ↳ showing that adaptability isn't just about surviving—it's about finding creative solutions within constraints.  ↳ This aligns with current industry trends emphasizing the need for adaptive leadership in volatile, uncertain conditions. 5- Continuous Evolution ↳ The entertainment industry never stands still.  ↳ Neither should leaders.  ↳ We learned that staying relevant means constantly evolving our skills and approaches.  ↳ Today, this includes developing remote leadership capabilities and embracing purpose-driven leadership. The Results? We didn't just survive one of the most significant cyber attacks in corporate history—we emerged stronger, with a leadership framework that works in any challenging situation. Our response became a case study in crisis management, demonstrating how data-driven decisions and collaborative efforts can overcome even the most sophisticated threats. What's your most valuable leadership lesson from navigating a crisis? Share your experience below.

I watched a CEO destroy his career in real time. He had everything going for him. A whip-smart and dynamic guy, he was brought in to lead a massive digital transformation at a traditional company. ✅ He had a corporate mandate for change. ✅ He had a talented team around him. ✅ He had the resources to succeed. ✅ He had an executive coach. But the old guard resented him. They hated the mission. They thought he was moving too fast. And, when the pressure mounted, he: ❌ Chose defensiveness over vulnerability. ❌ Publicly lashed out at people on the team. ❌ Pushed everyone away instead of engaging them. A year later, he stepped down. Here's what I learned about being in over your head: 1/ Make your team feel essential, not expendable ↳ Don't micromanage when stressed ↳ Say "Your expertise is exactly what we need." 2/ Turn crisis into connection ↳ Don't wall yourself off ↳ Say "We're in this together and we'll figure it out." 3/ Admit what you don't know ↳ Don't pretend to have all the answers ↳ Say "I'm figuring this out as we go. I'd like your input." 4/ Ask for specific help ↳ Don't say "I need support." ↳ Say "Can you handle clients while I focus on strategy?" 5/ Own your mistakes immediately ↳ Don't blame external factors first ↳ Say "I made the wrong call. Here's what I learned." 6/ Schedule regular check-ins during crisis ↳ Don't assume everyone knows what's happening ↳ Say "Let's meet every Tuesday to recalibrate." 7/ Create psychological safety for dissent ↳ Don't surround yourself with yes-people ↳ Say "I need you to tell me what I'm missing." 8/ Give credit when things go right ↳ Don't take solo credit for team wins ↳ Say "This success happened because [name] did [specific thing]." The leaders who survive being in over their heads: - Choose curiosity over control. - Build bridges when others build walls. - Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Vulnerability isn't weakness. It's the fastest path to the help you actually need. ♻ Repost to share this lesson with leaders navigating tough challenges. 👉Follow me Stephanie Eidelman (Meisel) for more ideas about authentic leadership and building the confidence to lead through uncertainty.