You don’t have to catch a child jumping from a third floor apartment building to be a hero in your community.   In the online community world, there are other ways to be a hero when crisis arrives; be it your brand under attack, your angry “best” customer, a public conversation gone sideways…

What separates a hero from a bystander?

Sue Shellenbarger, creator and writer of the Wall Street Journal’s “Work and Family” column, reports on the makings of a hero, like last month’s child catcher, 52 year-old Stephen St. Bernard:

The hero:

• engages the crisis, takes charge
• responds sympathetically to others; is empathic, and has a strong sense of moral and social responsibility
• sees what’s possible; tends to be hopeful and positive, by nature
• is ready to act; keeping fear at bay; relying on coping skills
• “steps up” to the plate and takes action

4 “Hero” skills for the Online Community Manager

So when the “shit hits the fan”, will you stand up for your community.  Will your moral and social responsibility kick in?

Here are 4 “hero” skills to work on, and that will increase your odds for success, when crisis arrives at your door:

1. Be ready…  have a crisis plan in place; get educated and trained… simulate interventions and your response to uncertainty; work on developing your empathy skills, and taking on others’ perspectives (it helps if you were raised by parents who had the same quality!)
2. Frame events positively… reframe the crisis;  see the potential, to take something bad and turn it into something good
3. Take constructive action… be unconditionally constructive; do the best you can; let people know what’s going on, even if you don’t have all the answers; being AWOL as a community manager should not be an option
4. Go with the flow…  be adaptive to what’s facing you… as the situation evolves, monitor, listen… acknowledge your own fears, say “hello” to the unexpected, and move forward  (hint: work on those coping skills)

Of course, you may think these hero skills are worth developing, whether you’re a community manager or not, and you’d of course be right.

The Hero Habit

Be a regular hero to your community.  Blogging hero Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss) identifies 4 Essential Elements to Deliver Consistently Repeatable Success.   I think being a hero qualifies as success.

Are you ready to find the hero in you?

Photo credit: seantoyer on Flickr