Crisis!
It was 7:29 AM when Inbal called. Ninety minutes before the original takeoff time, the airline sent a message: “We are sorry, but your flight has been canceled, and we re-booked you with another airline.” And, how “Murphy”-ish, they did not provide correct details for the alternative flight or any documents.
With two young kids and time ticking away, Inbal discovered the airline wasn’t responding to any communication channels.
Gentlemen, we have a Crisis.
By coincidence, I live in the same country as the airline, so Inbal called me to see if I might have better luck contacting them.
And this is exactly how crises always happen.
With family, friends, customers, employers, or colleagues—when they call with a crisis, how you respond makes a difference.
You might not always be the best solution, the only solution, or even the right solution, but the way you handle yourself matters, regardless of the crisis details.
How should we handle a “call for help” or a “crisis notification”?
It turns out there are sound principles that ALWAYS apply.
Cut out and hang above your workstation:
- Engage
- Empathy – Listen carefully and acknowledge the hardship.
- Offer Help – “Can I help? How?”
- Reassure – Clearly state, “I’m on it.”
- Take Focused Action
- Gather Information – Collect all the necessary details. Ask thorough questions.
- Plan & Inform – Clearly explain what you intend to do next.
- Act
- Communicate
- Push Updates – Keep the other party proactively informed:
- Periodically (frequency depends on the stress level)
- Whenever there’s progress or setbacks—“Here’s what happened, and here’s my next step.”
- Summarize When Done – Clearly state what actions were taken and the current status.
- Wait for Release – It’s NOT over until the other party confirms they feel it’s resolved and your part is done.
The crisis drill remains consistent because, at their core, all crises require the same elements for satisfactory resolution:
- Responsible people
- Clear communication
- Empathy
In one word: a Team.
These guidelines will help you quickly form that crisis team when it truly matters.
Whether your brother urgently needs to move out of the flat within four hours or your customer calls because production is down—the procedure is the same. Follow the card.
And what about Inbal?
A quick call to the airline’s service center confirmed the alternative flight was indeed on schedule, and updated booking details would soon follow. By taking on the responsibility of proactively “nagging” the airline and regularly updating Inbal—rather than waiting for her to ask—I believe some stress was alleviated. The flight took off on time.
* No airlines were harmed during the making of this article.
