What Is It Like To Be A Crisis Negotiator?

I am regularly asked, what was it really like as a crisis negotiator?

I am always honest in my reply; it is much easier than it seems when looking from the outside, but the stakes are the highest possible.

It got me thinking, crisis negotiating is much like starting and running a business, and probably just like life itself;
None of us truly know what is ahead of us - We can plan, we can strategise, we can think about exit points, but unexpected things always come along and throw us off course. Understanding that most things never go exactly as planned provides us with comfort. It happens to us all, not just me.

The single best thing we can do in life is to connect with others - There are three ways to get things out of our head when we have difficulty resolving our challenges - talk, write, and read - with talking being the best option.

You are not alone - We often think that no one else has the same problem as us, that others won't understand what we are going through, that we are unique. You are indeed unique, but there is not one person on this planet who has not faced what seemed to them like a mountainous problem which they got through, and so can you too.

We are restricted by ourselves - Our brain is designed to keep us safe, to keep us within our neural pathways, to make us run in known patterns. Stepping outside our comfort zone is how we get over life's challenges, running to the fire with the necessary tools to put out the flames. Each of us possesses strengths that we do not know that we possess until we truly need them.

Our mind is not set - It takes effort to make changes in our life but not as much effort as you think it might. All it takes is to change our mindset because our mind is not actually set.

Now, is the right time to take action - Don't wait until a crisis negotiator answers your call for help, reach out now. Take on that challenge as soon as it arrives by talking, reading, and then writing.

Talk: Speak with others, not the ones who say "Stop worrying", "It's nothing to worry about", or "Worry is simply a wasted energy." Find someone else, someone who will sit, listen, and support.

Read: Go to reputable sites and read about how others overcame their challenges.

Write: Make a plan in writing with a pen on paper. It starts today, not tomorrow, for tomorrow is in the future and you are only ever in the present.

Let's talk!