LEADERSHIP DURING ADVERSITY AND CRISIS

LEADERSHIP DURING ADVERSITY AND CRISIS

Adversity and crises may take such forms as a downturn in business, a sudden surge in workload, natural and man-made disasters, massive product recall, and workplace violence.

Ten Pinpoint Leadership Approaches to Dealing with Adversity and Crises:

1. Make tough decisions quickly- the best accepted principle of crisis leadership is that leaders should take decisive action to remedy the situation.

2. Serve as model of being resilient – Effective managerial leaders are resilient: they bounce back quickly from setbacks.

3. Present a plan for dealing with adversity and crisis- Contingency planning. Present a plan for dealing with the crisis while staying calm and reassuring manner.

4. Appear confident and trustworthy – group members must trust that their leaders candela with the crisis. Trust can be attained by communicating openly, honestly, and often about the crisis. It is helpful for the leader to project confident body language, such as appearing relaxed.

5. Focus on the future- Part of being visionary is focusing on the future when the present is filled with difficulty.  

6. Communicate widely about the problem- when tough times hit, it pays to increase communication about the problems the company is facing to discuss what might be done to improve the situation.

7. Change to meet changing circumstances – a bold leadership move is to change the thrust of the company’s activities to adapt to changing circumstances.

8. Stick with constructive core value- leaders who keep their company focused on core values are likely to endure difficult times. Neglecting core values to help overcome adversity can create permanent damage

9. Divide major problems into chunks – give workers bits of the major problem to work on so that they feel less overwhelmed by the adversity facing them and the company.

10. Lead with compassion – crises can take heavy emotional toll on workers. Compassionate leadership encompasses set of actions.

       The first is to create an environment in which the affected workers can freely discuss how they feel, such as group meetings

       The second is to create an environment in which workers who experience or witness pain can find a method to alleviate their own suffering or that of others.

       The leader must establish a special fund to help families who were victims of a disaster or give workers access to grief counseling.

ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS

§ Sizing up situations in order to apply the best leadership approach.

§ Exerting influence through various approaches such as rational persuasion, inspirational appeal, and assertiveness.

§ Motivating team members through specific techniques such as goal setting and positive reinforcement.

§ Motivating people from diverse cultures and nations.

§ Resolving conflict with superiors and group members.

§ Solving problem creatively in ways that point group in new directions.

§ Developing mission statement that inspires others to perform well.

§ Leading a group through adversity.