Decision Making: What You Can Do When a Crisis Strikes

We are all told that we have to make decisions in order to move forward. Many times a decision made by one person can save or cost lives. How would you respond when a crisis hits you?

Captain Sullenberger, the hero pilot of the Miracle on the Hudson in January 2009, was interviewed in which he described how he and his co-pilot had to make a decision in a very short time. He claimed that from the time the birds hit the engines of his plane to the time he landed in the Hudson, 208 seconds elapsed. Imagine having to make a decision that would kill 155 people or one that would save their lives in such a short amount of time? In 208 seconds he had to evaluate all the available options before making the decision to slide through the waters of the Hudson.

When asked how he was able to make such a quick decision that it worked, Capt. Sullenberger claimed that he took more than 2 decades of training, education and experience. He went on to say that an intelligent man learns from his own experiences and that a wise man also learns from the experiences of others. He was a student of all aspects of flight. He constantly studied others in similar situations, both the successes and the failures.

Success comes when preparation meets opportunity. Sure, you must learn from your own experiences and you must also learn from others who have walked the path you are on now. By doing this, you can avoid making similar mistakes. When you want to make more effective decisions, especially when facing a crisis, learn how others handled it.

When I participated in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training sponsored by the Los Angeles Fire Department from August to October 2009, I learned that preparation for a major disaster is important. Part of that preparation was the training I went through. Other training and experience that will help me if a major disaster strikes is what I spent in the Marines and the Los Angeles Police Department. All of this will help me make better decisions if I had to answer.

Don’t assume you already know how to make effective decisions in times of crisis until you’ve been trained specifically to do so. You may be good at day-to-day decision making, but crisis decision making is very different. Become a lifelong student in your field, especially when facing a crisis. Practice how you would deal with a possible crisis. This can be done through visualization or in actual practice.

The more you practice and study others in similar situations, the better your decision making will be if a crisis arises.