The skilled crisis manager resists the temptation to put the strategy in the drawer. Because it's precisely when the crisis hits that the strategy is tested.

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Corona, war and climate crisis. One crisis follows another - and creates the next. Broken supply chains fuel inflation, war leads to high energy prices, which in turn contributes to uncertain markets.

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That's why good crisis management is in high demand. Because what do you do as a business leader when your business model suddenly fails?

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My guess is that it is precisely in the crisis that strategy is put to the test. Yet I often find that small and medium-sized organizations put their strategy in the drawer when the crisis hits.

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Before I elaborate on why it can be dangerous, let me be clear: Advice is cheap when you don't have your hand on the stove. I know, because I've taken a big gamble by starting my own business in 2021. There are plenty of sleepless nights. So, dear business leader in crisis: If you feel provoked by my point, I understand.

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ALSO READ: Leaders who don't understand strategy are taboo

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When strategy is put aside, I think it's because business leaders are only human. And it's human to react more to gut feelings when the pressure increases. In practical terms, I also find that it's about lack of time. When problems are queued up, you take the most urgent first and then move on to the next one. And then the long term has to wait.

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At the same time, we have a traditional image of the crisis manager as someone who can make quick decisions and cut through the organization with a special cynicism and drive - without looking too much to the future.

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The problem is that if strategy is only something we do in "peacetime", we'll never get to it. The skilled crisis manager therefore focuses on the present, but sets aside serious time to re-evaluate the future, even though the world could quickly change next week.

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"In my experience, the continuous reassessment of assumptions makes it much more manageable to adapt the strategy relatively quickly."

- Sanne Markwall

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This is where old notions of strategy life expectancy must be put to rest. In most industries, gone are the days when a strategy could be one year in the making and then live unchallenged for three years. Today, strategy is something that needs to be reassessed and adapted far more often. In many places, the adaptation starts almost immediately after the last sentence has been written.

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Isn't that a waste of time, I sometimes hear business leaders say. My answer is no.

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Of course, when conditions change, the strategy must also change. Because when conditions change, if anything, it's necessary to assess whether your business is on the right track.

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No one can predict the future, but instead ask yourself and your organization: If these conditions are the new normal, what will our business be like in three years?

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In my experience, the continuous reassessment of assumptions makes it much easier to adapt the strategy relatively quickly. At the same time, it creates support and optimism among both employees and business partners when management is able to adjust the course based on the current state of affairs - and at the same time tell where the new course will take the company.

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READ ALSO: Remember the employees you have - before you chase new ones

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This column is published on Jyllands-Posten's Finance and in Jyllands-Posten, Business on November 28, 2022.

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