Navigating through a crisis: Crisis leadership

One of the most defining moments in the life of a developing leader arises in the form of a crisis. Such unpredictable and often unprecedented moments of truth reveal the leader’s strengths, weaknesses, and capacity for resilience for all the world to see.

This paper describes, based on qualitative research and case studies, the characteristics of effective leadership in a crisis. It addresses the key tasks and requirements for a leader to help their organization through a crisis including Anticipating (establishing an early warning system), managing information flow, decision making, communicating, delegating, and preparing (anticipating the next likely crisis). We suggest that there are a couple of counter-intuitive factors that define effective crisis leadership and separate the most effective crisis leaders from less effective ones. These factors include:

1.    The ability to recognize that strengths can become liabilities in a crisis, previously effective responses are no guarantee of future success in a crisis.

2.    Faster can be slower: a leader’s immediate intuitive reaction may be the problem rather than the solution, taking the time to achieve a more reasoned approach can ultimately quicker

3.    Less can be more in a crisis. Good crisis leaders know how to access the most relevant information sources and data efficiently and effectively, avoiding overload and distraction in order to focus their attention and actions.

4.    Taking care of others means attending to yourself – stress, sleep deprivation and fatigue do not contribute to anyone’s ability to help others through a crisis

5.    Taking the time to focus attention to deliberate and prioritize reflection over action is a crucial investment of time.