Everything undergoes structural shifts from day to day. Any kind of change can become not only a distinguishing feature, but also a source of crisis. The only way to respond to this is to maintain crisis awareness, since crises can develop faster than we imagine. Sound preparation for any manager should therefore involve planning to deal with a crisis that might arise at any time. A crisis could be a turning point for a positive form of change; this will depend on maturity of attitude and sound familiarity with the four stages of crisis management. In each stage, we should consider whether urgent and rapid action might truly create a positive opportunity, or actually make the situation worse. This article discusses the cost of errors in crisis management and the benefits of prompt, positive action in relation to the different examples established by four well-known cases. It is hoped that these will benefit nursing managers by improving crisis management skills in clinical practice.