There is often precious little that you can do about a given difficult situation.

• You may not have the tools
• You may not have access to the right people
• You might be stymied by people or things that are out of your control
• Even with your efforts, the situation is likely to remain without any change

What should you do under these circumstances?

You may choose to accept the fact that things will not work out the way you like or the way that you believe is correct. In that case, you will not try to solve the problem.

You may try to limit its impact. That is called damage control:

• You might urge certain people to refrain from allowing their tongues to wag about specific things, even when questioned
• You might suggest to the victims to avoid circumstances or situations that will bring them closer to the cause of the problem again
• You might take steps to assure that the sides involved in the argument will not become embroiled in new disagreements or fights
  • You might help them restrict their battles and arguments to the existing issues

These aspects of damage control do not correct or fix up the problems. They do attempt to avoid an escalation of existing issues.

In some cases, they can maintain the damage that is done at the current level. However, in other cases, this limiting of the damage is minimal. Damage control often creates additional damage. You will have to decide whether that additional damage is greater or less than without that damage control.

Damage control also does not mean or imply that a person should try to escape or run away from any problems. It does mean that people should deal with their problems in an intelligent way.

Summary

Many people want to undo damage after it has been done, but they may face a limited likelihood of success. Their goals are often mistaken. Damage control helps people realize that what is done is done. It helps people continue with their lives in a sensible manner, before taking risks that could cause matters to deteriorate still further.

Yes, a risk might lead to an improvement of the situation. For that reason, you may choose to take that risk. As a professional, you will have to decide whether to involve the concept of damage control in order to prevent additional damage, or whether to fix up the problem.