Anastacia Visneski

I literally wrote a book on this- using crisis management and techniques I used as a first responder to help your career. This is the hardest step- you need to look at things from a different lens than you have probably used before. It involves not only planning for what you want to accomplish but your backup for what you are going to do if something goes wrong. Have backups for your backups.

It is critical that you have a plan in place for this sort of event. According to one report, 58% of employees struggle to regulate their attention(*Industrial Marketing Management 88 (2020) 314–322)...and that's before there is an MCI in a work space. So make sure these roles are clear and held by people who can keep cool under pressure. Don't expect to do this on the fly.

This is the part that usually falls off after time- make absolutely sure you have it in your annual planning that you will test and update your plan and actually do it. It is very east for this to get pushed to the side. Its like forgetting to check your first aid box until you are bleeding out...only to find out you are out of bandages and everything is expired.

This is probably the most undervalued part of this list. The ability to adapt quickly, in your communications, in quickly being able to change plans. This sort of resiliency is invaluable to leadership.

Be authentic. People can tell when you are talking to them just to build your network or to get something, and that will erode trust. While this advice is good, you have to balance it with being authentic and enthusiastic.

Don't waste your time on "the newest" or most talked about social media or digital media platforms without researching carefully who is on that site. Have a really clear idea about what makes you different and lean into that.