When the going gets tough

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Create an environment in which you and your employees are put outside your comfort zone. This will create a culture that wards off complacency and keeps your business invigorated with challenges.

By Richard BransonQ: During a crisis involving your business, how do you know if you are panicking too much? How do you step back and handle bad situations with a cool head? — Ghufran Sheraz, PakistanOver the course of my career, I’ve faced crises time and time again. I’ve been arrested; I’ve come close to losing million-dollar businesses overnight; and I’ve gone head-to-head with giants in legal battles, just to name a few of the obstacles that have come up.

This might sound like hell to most people, but I’ve learned to embrace these sorts of challenges. I thrive when the pressure is on — it makes me feel alive and determined, and it pushes me forward.

These skills were difficult to learn. I was such an introvert when I was a child that my mother worried that my shyness would be debilitating as I got older.

To bring me out of my shell, she continuously set challenges for me. She encouraged me to perform skits in front of dinner guests, and she sent me off on adventures where I would have to ask people for directions along the way.

Under her guidance, I got used to living outside my comfort zone. It wasn’t easy! I panicked over and over again... but because I experienced those blasts of fear repeatedly, I learned to recognise what was happening and to deal with it effectively.

Those adventures also taught me a great life lesson: You don’t learn to walk by following the instructions, but by doing, which means that sometimes you’ll stumble and fall.

I wasn’t the exception — most people need practice at dealing with tumult so that they’re more prepared when a serious or potentially life-changing moment does arrive.

This is a skill like any other. It’s a particularly important one for entrepreneurs, some of whom first experience fear when things start going badly for a company.

If you don’t push yourself and your business, you and your employees will eventually become complacent, leaving your company vulnerable to its competition.

Creating a culture in which a business is invigorated by challenges may take a shift in mindset if you haven’t met with any in a while.

Ward off complacency by introducing your staff to unconventional situations: Perhaps there are new types of potential customers they should meet and get to know; maybe some of your employees should try using your competitors’ product for a couple of weeks, or try going without the product entirely and see what alternative solutions they come up with; or maybe it’s time to redesign your offering and company from scratch.

The point is to move your people outside their comfort zones — and all of you will find that this is where innovation begins.

When moments of true crisis do arrive, the panic and urgency you feel should not be new sensations anymore, and you should not let your alarm get out of hand. Two tactics that help me: Carrying a notepad, and surrounding myself with great people.

No matter where I go, I carry a notepad so that I can capture my thoughts. By writing down my ideas, concerns and must-do action items, I achieve clarity faster.

I also try to keep in mind that no one can be good at everything. If you come up against a problem that you don’t know how to solve, it’s important to delegate some of the work to people who have the right skillsets, and who share your values and passions.

Above all, to maintain calm in a crisis, focus on the things that you’re passionate about. The road to success is pock-marked with bumps and takes many detours.

I’ve seen ideas and businesses fail time and time again, but I don’t let stressful occasions put me off. I’ve found that when I focus on why I want to achieve a goal, it’s easier to keep a level head.

As the Billy Ocean song goes: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Everything is not always going to go as planned. That’s an inevitable part of every entrepreneurial journey. So embrace the challenges.

Once you do, you’ll find that you’re living at a more exhilarating pace. — Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate

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