Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 – 1948) was a great leader of India. There are a number of interesting stories from his life. According to one of the stories, one day, as Gandhiji started to board a train, one of his shoes slipped off and got caught on the track. He was unable to free the shoe from the track; so he took off the other shoe and threw it also on the track right at the spot where the first one was stuck. The astonished passengers asked, ‘Why are you throwing the other shoe onto the track?’ He replied, ‘The poor man who finds the shoe lying on the track will now have a pair he can use.’

This was a moment of crisis for Gandhiji. A crisis always comes suddenly. Few people can manage it successfully. Crisis management requires presence of mind. It is presence of mind that helps one to successfully manage crises. Gandhiji was wise enough to manage the crisis he faced and turned his loss into gain, if not for himself, then certainly for some other person.

Crisis management requires presence of mind. It is presence of mind that helps one to successfully manage crises.

The greatest quality needed for successful crisis management is only one, that is, to forget the first chance that you have lost, and to discover the second chance and avail of it. In every crisis, a person loses the first chance. One who is obsessed with the losing of the first chance, cannot manage the crisis. The moment you get rid of the first loss, you can easily manage the problem in your favour.

This principle applies not only to individuals, but also to nations. A nation, too, often loses the first chance. At that time, national leaders should remove people’s focus from the first chance and draw their attention to the second chance. This is the only art of management of crisis.