<ul><li>Am I reacting? Simply asking yourself that question can ground you and give you a quick mental break to perhaps choose differently.</li><li>You react when you think you don’t have any other option. When you realize that you always have choices, you can remember to consider them and the consequences they bring before moving forward.</li><li>Always consider the context – what is happening and how the next step will best serve you, the organization and everyone involved.</li></ul>

Preventing Reactions

While responding seems like the prudent choice, in a crisis or emergency situation it may seem that you would logically need to react or operate in a split-second decision mode.The reality is the best crisis managers are trained and practice a variety of scenarios precisely so they can respond rather than react. The difference is in preparation and thought.

Acting In Emergency Situations 

<ul><li>When you think about how this specific situation fits into your overall goals and objectives it will be easier to respond.</li><li>The best decisions are informed by a proper balance of facts and emotions. </li><li>Mentally move into the future and look back to determine your best response to the current situation.</li></ul>

How To Respond Rather Than React

<ul><li>Make your expectations clear and help people understand when and where you expect response rather than immediate reaction.</li><li>It is hard to encourage or inspire others to respond if you aren’t modeling it yourself.</li><li>Once you are responding rather than reacting, you are in a better position to coach others based on your experience, citing examples and more.</li></ul>

Helping Others Respond

In a recent leadership workshop a participant asked me: "How can I get staff to think about choices or decisions and not just react?" My first thought was of a classic Zig Ziglar story that talks about the big difference one word can make. Zig said (and I'm paraphrasing): Imagine going to the doctor for ...