Crisis manager: requirements and functional responsibilities

A crisis manager is a specialist that no large company can do without it. The requirements for such a professional are quite high, but the financial remuneration is always "on the level".

The crisis manager is an outside manager who helps either to successfully cope with a crisis situation or even bankruptcy, or to prevent them from occurring.

In order to assess the situation and get to the bottom of the matter, a specialist has to work through a huge layer of information. Considering that everything happens at someone else's enterprisewhose employees are not always ready to cooperate, even requesting all the necessary documents is often a problematic task... It should be added that the whole process is carried out in a rather tense atmosphere and, as a rule, in time trouble.

Having completed the analysis of the current state of the enterprise, the crisis manager proceeds to develop measures that can correct the situation. In most cases, they are poorly received by the team, as they include the reduction of staff and the elimination of entire departments, freezing of costs and closing capital flight.

It should also be added that in anti-crisis management it is customary to single out 2 main directions... The former is an arbitration consultant, participating in non-profit partnership... The Union of Managers and Anti-Crisis Managers sends such a specialist to the company that officially files for bankruptcy or about a crisis situation. The Union Arbitration Court is engaged in this. To become such a specialist, you only need an appropriate license.

The second direction is represented by an independent consultant. It is he, being an individual entrepreneur, invited by the organization on a commercial basis for a detailed analysis, search for problems and the formation of ways to solve them. He also negotiates with creditors, evaluates the state of the enterprise and takes part in certification activities. The list of his duties is much wider than that of an arbitration consultant, the same can be said about the level of responsibility.

The demand for organizations in crisis managers from outside is very high:

• an expensive specialist with specific knowledge and skills is usually not kept in the company "just in case";
• it is the stranger who can look at the situation with an open mind and see the problem.

Specialist salaries start at $ 10,000 per month. A manager can receive a fixed salary, a certain share in the authorized capital, or a salary in combination with a percentage of the company's profits received from his work.

The profession of a crisis manager is difficult, serious and highly paid, and therefore the requirements for such a specialist are quite diverse.

Currently, in many economic universities in the country, one can study to become a crisis manager by enrolling in a specialty of the same name. After completing a bachelor's degree, a young specialist can already start work. However, initially, such training will cost much more than in the case of other economic specialties.

Higher education can be any other profile, for example, in the field of personnel management, law or finance.

An anti-crisis manager must have an impeccable reputation, as well as be able to establish relationships with both government agencies and other managers. A big plus is the presence of "psychological" skills, that is, the ability to conduct a dialogue, organize negotiations, speak publicly, resolve conflict issues and resist pressure.

He must adequately perceive the opinions of others, but remain independent in his own decisions.

Since a crisis specialist works in the economic field, it is important for him to have a good understanding of financial strategies and theories, as well as legal legislation. Knowledge of the structure of the company, the relationship of departments and ongoing processes is considered important.

One of the most important qualities required to work as an anti-crisis manager is stress tolerance.

Blatant aggression is quite common. and reluctance to make contact on the part of the representatives of the collective, whose irritation about the lack of salary or worsening conditions "pours out" on a stranger. Previous managers are also not enthusiastic about the arrival of a crisis management specialist. after all, the success of his work will mean the complete incompetence of employees in organizing leaders.

As a result, if a specialist does not possess such qualities as anti-conflict, the ability to inspire confidence, remain a professional in any situation and abstract from unpleasant moments, he will not be able to last long in the profession.

The main motto of a professional should be the phrase "End justifies the means".

Another important characteristic is observation. - experienced crisis managers, thanks to this quality, identify all the company's shortcomings in a couple of weeks.

In general, the requirements for an anti-crisis professional may differ depending on the specifics of the company that needs a specialist. However, an employee is usually required to have a higher education in a specialized field, work experience in managerial positions and a portfolio with completed projects. The main personal qualities expected from a manager are stress resistance, dedication, responsibility and a non-standard approach.

We can immediately say that a specific list of responsibilities of a crisis manager will be determined depending on the current situation at the enterprise. However, some points are still repeated from time to time.

If necessary, the crisis manager decides how the company will be able to counteract external threats., and also prepares a business plan for financial recovery. In most cases, this happens by refinancing liabilities and optimizing spending.

It is the anti-crisis manager starts bankruptcy proceedings, negotiating with creditors, and also checking if the signs of a crisis situation are fictitious. This specialist also conducts an inventory of existing property and analyzes what state it is in. Optimization of financial flows and production also turns out to be his task.

Most crisis managers in Russia work for themselves. They begin their careers while studying at the university, doing internships in consulting offices, law firms or those large organizations that have their own anti-crisis departments. In these same places, their careers begin.

By the way, in this case, a professional must register with the Union of Managers and Anti-Crisis Managers.

Some managers complete their professional development at this stage, but others go further. For example, they register as individual entrepreneurs, form their own department in the Union of Managers and Anti-Crisis Managers, or even open full-fledged firms.

Since anti-crisis managers are in great demand, they receive rather high salaries. However, in order to form a truly high-quality portfolio and receive the most profitable orders, a manager needs to work mostly with large enterprises, cooperation with which takes about a couple of years. Projects lasting about a couple of months are not always well received by employers, although in cases where they are accompanied by outstanding results, the reaction is the opposite.