The following is adapted from a WSJ column by Bill George, author of 'True North' and former CEO of Medtronic.

    Here are seven lessons for leaders charged with leading their organizations through a crisis:

    Lesson 1: Leaders must face reality. Reality starts with the person in charge. Leaders need to look themselves in the mirror and recognize their role in creating the problems. Then they should gather their teams together and gain agreement about the root causes. Widespread recognition of reality is the crucial step before problems can be solved. Attempting to find short-term fixes that address the symptoms of the crisis only ensures the organization will wind up back in the same predicament.

    In order to understand the real reasons for the crisis, everyone on the leadership team must be willing to tell the whole truth. Leaders can't solve problems if they don't acknowledge their existence.

    Lesson 2: No matter how bad things are, they will get worse. Faced with bad news, many leaders cannot believe that things could really be so grim. Consequently, they try to convince the bearers of bad news that things aren't so bad, and swift action can make problems go away.

    This causes leaders to undershoot the mark in terms of corrective actions. As a consequence, they wind up taking a series of steps, none of which is powerful enough to correct the downward spiral. It is far better for leaders to anticipate the worst and get out in front of it. If they restructure their cost base for the worst case, they can get their organization healthy for the turnaround when it comes and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.

    Lesson 3: Build a mountain of cash, and get to the highest hill. In good times leaders worry more about earnings per share and revenue growth than they do about their balance sheets. In a crisis, cash is king. Forget about earnings-per-share and all those stock market measures. The question is, 'Does your organization have sufficient cash to survive the most dire circumstances?'

    Lesson 4: Get the world off your shoulders. In a crisis, many leaders act like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They go into isolation, and think they can solve the problem themselves. In reality, leaders must have the help of all their people to devise solutions and to implement them. This means bringing people into their confidence, asking them for help and ideas, and gaining their commitment to painful corrective actions.

    Lesson 5: Before asking others to sacrifice, first volunteer yourself. If there are sacrifices to be made and there will be then the leaders should step up and make the greatest sacrifices themselves. Everyone is watching to see what the leaders do. Will they stay true to their values? Will they bow to external pressures, or confront the crisis in a straight-forward manner? Will they be seduced by short-term rewards, or will they make near-term sacrifices in order to fix the long-term situation?

    Lesson 6: Never waste a good crisis. When things are going well, people resist major changes or try to get by with minor adaptations. A crisis provides the leader with the platform to get things done that were required anyway and offers the sense of urgency to accelerate their implementation.

    Lesson 7: Be aggressive in the marketplace. This may sound counter-intuitive, but a crisis offers the best opportunity to change the game in your favor, with new products or services to gain market share. Many people look at a crisis as something to get through, until they can go back to business as usual. But 'business as usual' never returns because markets are irrevocably changed. Why not create the changes that move the market in your favor, instead of waiting and reacting to the changes as they take place?

    以下內容節選自比爾•喬治(Bill George)的博客，他著有《真北：125位全球頂尖領袖的領導力告白》(True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership)一書，曾任美敦力公司(Medtronic Inc.)首席執行長。

    負有帶領公司走出危機之責的領導人應當記取的七大教訓：

    教訓1：lingdaorenbixumianduixianshi。xianshicongfuzederenkaishi。lingdaorenxuyaoshenshizishen，renshizijizaiyinqiwentifangmianbanyanlehezhongjiaose。ranhoutamenyingdangjihezijidetuandui

，jiuwentidegenyuandachengyizhiyijian。pubianrenqingxianshishiwentideyijiejuedeguanjianbuzhou。shituzhaochuyingduiweijibiaoxiangdeduanqijiejuefanganzhihuiranggongsizuizhongyouhuidaotongyangdekunjing。

    要了解危機的真正原因，領導團隊中的每個人都必須願意說出全部的事實。如果領導人不承認存在問題，就無法解決問題。

    教訓2：buguanqingkuangduozaogao
，tamendouhuibiandegengzao。mianduihuaixiaoxi
，xuduolingdaorenwufaxiangxinshitaizhendezhemeyanzhong。jieguo，tamenhuishitushuofuchuandahuaixiaoxideren，shuoqingkuangqishimeinamehuai，zhiyaoxunsucaiquxingdongjiunengrangwentixiaoshi。

    zhehuidaozhilingdaorenjiejuewentishilidubugou。jieguo，tamenzuizhongcaiquleyixiliecuoshi

，danmeiyouyigedelidaokeyijiuzhengbuduanehuadexingshi。ruguolingdaorennenggouyuxiankaolvzuihuaideqingkuangbingqiangxianjiejue，qingxinghuihaodeduo。ruguotamencongzuizaogaodeqingkuangchufaduichengbenjiegoujinxingtiaozheng，yidanjingjihaozhuan，gongsijiuhuichuyulianghaodezhuangkuang，yenenggouliyongbaizaimianqiandejihui。

    教訓3：積ji累lei大da量liang資zi金jin，越yue多duo越yue好hao。在zai世shi道dao好hao的de時shi候hou，領ling導dao人ren更geng多duo地di擔dan心xin每mei股gu收shou益yi和he收shou入ru的de增zeng長chang，而er不bu怎zen麼me擔dan心xin資zi產chan負fu債zhai表biao的de狀zhuang況kuang。但dan危wei機ji之zhi時shi，現xian金jin決jue定ding一yi切qie。別bie去qu想xiang什shen麼me每mei股gu收shou益yi和he所suo有you那na些xie股gu市shi指zhi標biao。關guan鍵jian問wen題ti是shi：你的公司是否有充足的資金以度過最嚴峻的形勢？

    教訓4：不bu要yao什shen麼me都dou一yi個ge人ren承cheng擔dan。危wei機ji之zhi時shi
，許xu多duo領ling導dao人ren都dou像xiang大da力li神shen一yi般ban，獨du力li承cheng擔dan整zheng個ge世shi界jie的de重zhong負fu。他ta們men與yu外wai界jie隔ge絕jue，覺jiao得de自zi己ji能neng解jie決jue所suo有you問wen題ti。事shi實shi上shang
，領ling導dao人ren必bi須xu得de到dao手shou下xia人ren的de協xie助zhu才cai能neng想xiang出chu解jie決jue方fang案an並bing付fu諸zhu實shi施shi。這zhe就jiu意yi味wei著zhe要yao讓rang人ren們men有you信xin心xin，向xiang他ta們men尋xun求qiu幫bang助zhu和he建jian議yi
，並bing取qu得de他ta們men對dui實shi施shi棘ji手shou矯jiao正zheng行xing動dong的de承cheng諾nuo。

    教訓5：在要求其他人犧牲之前，自己先作出表率。如果需要做出犧牲（肯定會有這種情況的），領ling導dao人ren應ying當dang首shou先xian站zhan出chu來lai做zuo出chu最zui大da的de犧xi牲sheng。每mei個ge人ren都dou在zai看kan領ling導dao人ren會hui怎zen麼me做zuo。他ta們men會hui不bu會hui身shen體ti力li行xing自zi己ji所suo說shuo的de價jia值zhi觀guan？他ta們men是shi會hui屈qu從cong於yu外wai部bu壓ya力li
，還hai是shi直zhi麵mian危wei機ji？他ta們men會hui受shou到dao短duan期qi回hui報bao的de誘you惑huo，還hai是shi會hui做zuo出chu暫zan時shi的de犧xi牲sheng以yi修xiu正zheng長chang期qi局ju麵mian
？

    教訓6：永(yong)遠(yuan)不(bu)要(yao)浪(lang)費(fei)危(wei)機(ji)的(de)大(da)好(hao)機(ji)會(hui)。在(zai)世(shi)道(dao)好(hao)的(de)時(shi)候(hou)
，人(ren)們(men)不(bu)願(yuan)意(yi)進(jin)行(xing)重(zhong)大(da)變(bian)革(ge)，或(huo)是(shi)試(shi)圖(tu)通(tong)過(guo)小(xiao)打(da)小(xiao)鬧(nao)的(de)調(tiao)整(zheng)勉(mian)強(qiang)對(dui)付(fu)過(guo)去(qu)。危(wei)機(ji)給(gei)領(ling)導(dao)人(ren)提(ti)供(gong)了(le)平(ping)台(tai)，可(ke)以(yi)做(zuo)到(dao)一(yi)些(xie)本(ben)來(lai)就(jiu)必(bi)須(xu)做(zuo)的(de)事(shi)

，並(bing)給(gei)人(ren)一(yi)種(zhong)緊(jin)迫(po)感(gan)
，從(cong)而(er)加(jia)速(su)實(shi)施(shi)。

    教訓7：在(zai)市(shi)場(chang)上(shang)積(ji)極(ji)進(jin)取(qu)。聽(ting)上(shang)去(qu)也(ye)許(xu)有(you)點(dian)不(bu)合(he)常(chang)理(li)
，但(dan)危(wei)機(ji)是(shi)讓(rang)形(xing)勢(shi)朝(chao)著(zhe)對(dui)你(ni)有(you)利(li)的(de)方(fang)向(xiang)發(fa)展(zhan)的(de)最(zui)好(hao)機(ji)會(hui)，可(ke)以(yi)推(tui)出(chu)新(xin)產(chan)品(pin)或(huo)服(fu)務(wu)，奪(duo)取(qu)市(shi)場(chang)份(fen)額(e)。許(xu)多(duo)人(ren)認(ren)為(wei)需(xu)要(yao)捱(ai)過(guo)危(wei)機(ji)才(cai)能(neng)令(ling)業(ye)務(wu)回(hui)到(dao)跟(gen)平(ping)常(chang)一(yi)樣(yang)的(de)狀(zhuang)態(tai)。但(dan)“跟平常一樣的狀態”永yong遠yuan不bu會hui回hui來lai，因yin為wei市shi場chang的de改gai變bian無wu可ke挽wan回hui。不bu要yao隻zhi是shi坐zuo等deng變bian化hua發fa生sheng後hou被bei動dong地di應ying對dui，為wei什shen麼me不bu去qu創chuang造zao一yi些xie變bian化hua

，令ling市shi場chang朝chao著zhe有you利li於yu你ni的de方fang向xiang發fa展zhan呢ne？