The Pesky Problems of a Crisis Mindset

“If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.”

Some Marine Officer, sometime

I honestly can’t remember just when I heard this USMC truism, but it’s one of those that I encountered repeatedly in uniform. It may not be fully fair, but I’m going to accredit this one to my former Commanding Officer. For some reason, it just sounds like him.

As I’m coming up on the 14th anniversary of my commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, I find myself reflecting on my time in service. It happens like this every year. And I’d venture a guess that most Marines go through a similar retrospection.

It’s a cultural nuance of the Marine Corps. We view our time in uniform as a transformation. The pace of operations, the training schedule, the professional development all contribute to a pressure cooker environment. Regardless of the length of our tenure, that environment grants us a gift: formative lessons that may have taken each of us a lifetime to learn otherwise.

For me, one of those early lessons revolved around that line about priorities. It was a hard learned lesson on how to communicate, respond, and manage workload all wrapped up in that neat little package. It became a mantra of mine; and a primary weapon against adopting a crisis mindset.

Crisis mindsets cripple us – especially in the advocacy world. Those mindsets drive us to a reactionary posture, compelling us to play conservatively and expend resources on tactics and miss opportunities to think strategically.

We see it most clearly manifested in the rush to disavow and distance anytime there’s a new social kerfuffle. Candidates, corporations and social media influencers alike scramble to react and be included in the story – or to avoid being swept away in it.

But I think it’s past time we normalize not reacting to every bit of news – and controversy – that comes about.

Candidates, corporations, advocacy organizations and individuals alike don’t need to comment on, or take advantage of, every crisis. Doing so shortens our horizon, and prevents us from capturing an infinite mindset. We become hyper focused on winning the moment in a vain attempt to remain relevant, and may just lose our ability to stay credible in the long game.

More directly, it’s unrealistic. You have your lane, your speciality. Outside of that realm you’re simply guessing. In moments of crisis we all want to be the hero, but none of us is equipped to meet every moment. You don’t need that pressure, so release yourself from it. When it is your time, you’ll know.

So, avoid the pesky problems of a crisis mindset. Practice restraint, save your energy for your clear and undeniable priorities. Make room for yourself to become brilliant in those priorities. Then, when the real problems do reach your doorstep it won’t be such a crisis.