Leaders hardly get to lead in normal environments in the new world as the world gets hit by crisis after crisis - and in shorter cycles than ever before.
Economic down turns, natural disasters, terrorism and other human conflicts, pandemics such as Covid-19, political, religious and numerous other. Therefore, leaders in any discipline need to have the ability to lead in crisis situations with diversity of knowledge and skills to produce results and such leadership is scarce as we all have experienced in the recent past.
Is it limited to more day-to-day issues? Not really, crisis leadership skill is also needed for the existential, emotional, and spiritual bottom line too.
During a crisis, leaders are often focused on the emotional turmoil of their direct reports and others in the organisation, but it’s equally important for leaders to take care of themselves. A crisis can exert a high impact on human needs, emotions, and behaviors, We may not be conscious of this, but our behaviors send messages to others about our own underlying needs and emotions. Whatever leadership role you play, you need to be aware of your own emotional turmoil, its effect on your behavior, and its influence on your leadership abilities.
Recognising and managing the emotions of the situation — others’ as well as your own — can help with individual and group resiliency, as well as getting people to safety and then back to normal.
People with an imbalanced emotional state don’t process well. It’s important to do anything you can to reduce the emotional stress on people while “doing the job.”
Treat people with sincere consideration and genuine concern. Show it by paying attention, listening, and responding to what people are telling you, as well as considering what isn’t being said.
Leader’s attitude
Draw on a sense of loyalty, courage, morality, or other principles that tie your crisis response to what is important to people. A leader’s attitude is contagious. Leaders are dealers in hope.
Even in extreme crises, an upbeat, can-do attitude keeps people going. Extremely volatile market environments demand the best of abilities to lead successfully. Average common skills are not good enough anymore.
Most leaders are aware of the negative consequences associated with an organisational crisis and focus on communications and public relations as a reactive strategy. Many neglect the other leadership responsibilities associated with organisational crises. This may result from lack of on-the-job experiences and formal training that prepare leaders to lead crises.
When leading through a crisis, most leaders are forced to think and behave in ways that feel unfamiliar. Effective leaders are able to remain calm and maintain a sense of perspective and aim to reduce loss and keep things operating as normal as possible.
During a crisis, time is compressed. The initial onset of a crisis presents immense pressure to act — and act quickly. Sometimes you have to begin tackling a problem before you have a solid grasp of what’s happening.
Be proactive
As you make decisions and take action when leading through a crisis, communicate those actions truthfully and honestly. Take charge. Be proactive; take initiative. Do something even if it might be wrong; paralysis or over-analysing is riskier. When leading through a crisis, most leaders are forced to think and behave in ways that feel unfamiliar.
Whether it’s a technological, financial, natural, or health crisis — at work or in the community — crises demand that leaders take an emergency response plan and adapt it as new evidence and factors present themselves.
When a crisis strikes as a leader, it’s your responsibility to seek the most accurate, reliable, up-to-date information from trustworthy news sources.
Avoid getting information from social media, and be wary of any news organisations that have political, financial, or activist agendas. Their information may be biased and, to varying degrees, inaccurate. Once essential information is gathered, process them and disseminate to the entire organisation through all communications channels and ensure that the intended target audience is aware of the situation.
Transparency is the key when leading in a crisis. Information is the oil that greases an organisation and keeps it running smoothly. The best way to remove the fear factor and emotional distress is offering clarity about the nature and impact of the crisis on the business. Keep repeating and reinforcing via multiple delivery methods so the employees better understand and comprehend.
Communicate your action
The truth is that during a crisis, time is compressed. The initial onset of a crisis presents immense pressure to act — and act quickly. Most times you have to begin tackling a problem before you have a solid grasp of what’s happening.
During crisis management, leaders should be visible and easily accessible. Because it’s not always possible to walk around your facility and talk to colleagues in person, let employees know how they can best reach you with status updates and questions.
Maintain your accessibility 24/7. Particularly during a crisis, employees have a need to hear more from their leaders more frequently. When leaders appear calm, concerned, knowledgeable, and in charge, workers feel encouraged and are more likely to have confidence that things are under control and will be fine.
Know that organisational policy needs to account for flexible leadership ranks during an emergency. As any crisis transitions from its urgent phase, time pressure will ease, as will the need for split-second decisions.
At that point, the plan must evolve into a more complex system that looks at recovery and getting things back to normal - whatever the new normal looks like. If a similar emergency unfolds in the future, will you be prepared?
All leaders will admit that crisis planning - for example, having a Crisis Action Plan and setting aside resources for a crisis - is important. But experience shows that key resources are seldom placed in reserve for contingencies. And if they are, they’re usually inadequate. While improvisation can’t be planned, thinking and team-building exercises can be built into a training program that prepares everyone for a similar, future crisis.
Think positively
Take the crisis one day at a time. Avoid negative people, negative thoughts, and negative talk. Constantly think positive thoughts and tell yourself that you can do it. Take five-minute private breaks.
Practice relaxation techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing. Don’t neglect spiritual exercises and activities as they fit your individual beliefs. Keep meetings short or “on the hoof,” where everyone stands. Be more assertive. Say “no” more often. Be more conscious about managing your time and priorities. Concentrate on only major issues. Skip secondary tasks.
In times of crisis, think and remember the big picture. Concentrate on the greater vision you have of yourself, both personally and professionally. Think about where you will be and what you will be doing a year from now.
Stop and realise that you are alive and that much good will come out of the crisis. By paying attention to your own emotions, needs, and behaviour, you will be better prepared to handle the human dimensions involved with leading through a crisis.
As a result, you’ll be more capable of containing the crisis, regaining control, minimising damage, and effectively preventing, defusing, and reducing the duration of an extremely difficult leadership situation.