I’ve been talking the past few days about how a manager handles challenges that need hands-off coaching vs. crises that need hands-on intervention.
But it’s possible for you as a manager of technical experts to develop a crisis cadence that allows you to stay hands-off even in the middle of a fire drill.
When the risk rises and systems start falling apart, it can be tempting for the technical manager to step in, take control, and just stop the pain. But when you create a consistent cadence for crisis, you can avoid chaos.
Clearly communicate these things to your team ahead of time as part of a standard incident response:
🔵 An Update Cadence: When and how they should share their current status
🔵 A Decision Cadence: Who has the authority to decide what? And how long do those decisions last before they need to be revisited?
🔵 An Escalation Cadence: What events should trigger management involvement or notification? And to whom in particular?
🔵 A Stabilization Cadence: How often should they step “out of the tactical weeds” to reassess strategy? What is the minimum level of success that reduces the urgency of the incident?
As I mentioned last week, your intervention in a fire drill or other critical situation should be intense but temporary. Learning from those experiences to establish a cadence for crises helps you remain in control, preventing chaos, while also remaining hands-off so your team can grow.
And if you’d like to explore crisis cadences for your own team, let’s talk. Visit stevedwire.com/talk to start the conversation.
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