Crisis Mode A personal crisis needn't spell disaster for your business--not if you prepare for it.

Every company occasionally endures a crisis. But what happens when your dilemma isn't plunging profit margins-but a personal life that's falling apart?

Because you have no idea what type of personal crisis might await you-an ugly divorce, a debilitating disease, an ailing parent-Paul Krasinski, founder and CEO of New York City-based Lion Strategy Advisors, suggests finding somebody now who can cover your responsibilities for at least 20 days rather than waiting for disaster to strike and finding yourself unprepared.

That employee "needs to be someone who can communicate effectively with your staff and command respect," suggests Krasinski, even if that employee is not the person you feel closest to in the company.