Your team member is in crisis. Do this first.

2026-02-05 · Source: MIT Sloan Management Review · Field: Business & Management — Human Resources & Workforce Development, Corporate Strategy & Leadership · Depth: Intermediate, quick

Summary

When a team member experiences a crisis, immediate action is crucial to prevent its spread within the first 24 hours. The initial step involves gathering data on their workload, identifying and removing them from both highly consequential tasks, such as major client meetings, and low-consequence bureaucratic duties. Subsequently, leaders must identify and address the needs of coworkers who might be impacted by the crisis or could themselves be in distress. The final, critical step is to establish a concrete plan, even if it's a simple bulleted list, to demonstrate support and help the individual regain a sense of stability, thereby preventing the crisis from escalating further.

Key takeaway

For operations professionals managing a team, when a team member is in crisis, your immediate focus should be to protect their workload and the team's stability. You must quickly assess their tasks, remove them from high-stakes and low-value work, and proactively support affected colleagues. Developing a visible, albeit simple, action plan will reassure the individual and prevent wider team disruption.

Key insights

Proactive leadership in a team member's crisis prevents spread and supports recovery.

Principles

• Shield team members from high and low-consequence tasks.
• Address ripple effects on other team members.
• A visible plan provides critical psychological support.

Method

Gather workload data, remove the individual from critical and trivial tasks, address impacted coworkers, and then establish a clear, supportive action plan.

In practice

• Review upcoming deadlines and meetings.
• Delegate bureaucratic tasks away.
• Communicate support through a simple plan.

Topics

• Crisis Management
• Team Leadership
• Employee Well-being
• Workload Prioritization
• Interpersonal Impact

Best for: Operations Professional, Executive, Entrepreneur

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by MIT Sloan Management Review.