Conquering Crisis: A book to read BEFORE you or your business are hit by a crisis

Stephen Grootes is joined by regular book reviewer Ian Mann on The Money Show.

Every week The Money Show interviews the author or reviewer of a new or trending business book.

This week Stephen Grootes talked to regular reviewer Ian Mann, MD of Gateways Business Consultants.

Mann reviewed Conquering Crisis: Ten Lessons to Learn Before You Need Them.

It's written by retired US Navy SEAL, Admiral William H. McRaven.

The SEAL commander tells stories from his life and career that illustrate the principles of effective leadership during times of crisis.

Admiral McRaven is the New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations.

"I love this book - he's come up with a set of principles about how to conquer a crisis situation. It's not as much about preventing a crisis, as how you deal with it once it's happened."

"To put McRaven in context, he's a retired four-star general who led the US Navy SEALS. He was involved in special operations literally for America around the world. He was the man who went after Osama bin Laden and organised taking out Saddam Hussein... later landing up as the chancellor of the University of Texas."

"The key about McRaven is he's got a set of ten principles that you really should be aware of whenever you're faced with a crisis. These can be on any level - from a political crisis to family or business crises."

"The first thing he says is that the first reports are always wrong...  You need to be skeptical ask about what's really happening with the timing of the facts, and you really need to be cautious about making any declarative statements before you've had a chance to say investigate. People don't do that, which results in things spinning out of control unnecessarily."

"McRaven also talks about having a council of colonels, obviously using a military term, but I imagine having a council of people you can trust in your organisation. So it's not only about your opinion, it's about calling people into a room and having a face-to-face conversation."

"I also love this phrasing - he says bad news doesn't get better with time and there's a strong tendency to feel you should cover up bad news for as long as you possibly can, which is not the way to go about it.:

"He also emphasizes the importance of having a morale check in your organisation."

"This is the sort of book you should read BEFORE you need to and I cannot emphasize that enough."

Ian Mann, MD - Gateways Business Consultants

Description on Indigo: 

New York Times bestselling author Admiral McRaven tells stories from his life and career that illustrate the principles of effective leadership during times of crisis.

Throughout his 40-year career, Admiral McRaven has experienced every manner of calamity imaginable. From managing failed hostage rescues to responding to student unrest, McRaven has learned how to successfully navigate crises—those moments that push the limits of your experience and challenge your confidence, when leadership skills alone may not be enough.

Conquering Crisis provides a new set of tools for facing these stressful moments with poise. It breaks crises down into five phases assess, report, contain, shape, and manage - and provides concrete steps to come out the other side stronger. With incredible personal stories, thought-provoking parables, and memorable lessons, Admiral McRaven sheds light on the ways we can rise to the occasion in times of crisis and act as leaders, no matter the situation.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to Mann's review