Crisis. Management.

Last night, late, I got a call from a friend of mine, an advertising friend. He's the managing director of a small agency with a big reputation. And he was in a bit of a jam.

I get a lot of calls when people are in a bit of a jam.

He needed print ads written for a meeting the next day.

The people who work full-time at his agency had come up short.

He briefed me, and it was a good brief. By the time we were half-way through his 61-page powerpoint, I was half-way through writing a couple of ads.

In other words, I got it.

I sat down for three hours and wrote three ads. "One more ad," I said to Whiskey, "and then I'll take you to the park."

I wrote another ad then left the house for an hour to exercise the pup.

When I got back, I wrote four more ads and re-wrote the four I started with.

After three more hours, I felt I was in pretty good shape and I sent things off.

The best way to get through a crisis is to act as if it's not a crisis. Act like the ads you have to write or the deck you have to put together are just bricks in a wall. Pile one on top of the next. Step back every once in a while to make sure your lines are straight, but keep going.

And when you're done and you feel good, hit the send button.

And don't look back.