Never waste a good crisis - Crowdstrike chaos

"Never waste a good crisis"

It was either WWII leader and strategist Winston Churchill or Italian philosopher Niccollo Machiavelli who said the above quote.

And, as I looked at the chaos of last Friday's bungled Microsoft update, I couldn't help but think of the line.

The errant update, issued by Crowdstrike, left travelers, 911 operators, pilots, and baristas all across the world in the lurch.

It was a large-scale, global disruptive life event.

The stories of empathy and connection are percolating up - airlines like Delta and United were offering vouchers for hotels and meals, tech pros worked through the night,

And (personally) my local Starbucks operator gave me a free rice krispy bar after I asked how he was doing instead of chewing him out when my card wouldn't go through. :-)

I've also heard the hard stories - like stressed out gate crews lecturing tired passengers, the tone-deaf support staff on the other end of a phone chewing out hospital workers.

Why empathy matters
These are the moments you train for - you can't, ultimately, prevent the chaos. But you can hope/train/equip your employees to respond with care when it matters most.

Disruptive life events are opportunities to create unforgettable moments of connection and care.  

Over the last week, there were organizations that earned customers for life.  Each customer interaction where someone showed up with attunement and care left an impression:  "They really care!"

And, as other brands/organizations bungled the moment or offered slow. tone-deaf responses, people decided, "I'll never work with them again." 

Smaller-scale disruption
We were chatting at a networking event a few years ago.  She was a top producer for her real estate firm, turning in tremendous numbers quarter after quarter.  

But, when her teenage daughter got into a terrible car accident, her attention was divided and the numbers dropped.

"Three months later, my boss only called me twice.  The first time was short and the second was to berate me for not making my numbers.  That was when I decided to leave."

These moments matter
Disruptive life events...crises.  Don't waste them.  These vulnerable, uncertain moments carry tremendous opportunity to create unforgettable experiences for clients, coworkers, nad fellow humans.

And, if you don't know where to start, let's talk!  Click on the link below to talk about options for bringing impactful, interactive training on human-centric skills to your workplace.