Presentation Transcript

Crisis Leadership

Crisis Leadership • What are the qualities and skills that make an effective leader during crisis? • How
would you go about assessing these qualities and skills? • Why are some leaders who are effective
during stable times, less effective during crisis? • What are the effects of stress on leadership decision
making? What is the role of experience vs. intelligence in decision making? (see Fiedler & Garcia) •
Assume you are a consultant coaching leaders on their behavior during a crisis-- what are some of the
key areas of performance that they should practice and be prepared for?

40 years of leadership research finds some traits are necessary but not sufficient: • Intelligence (but not
too much), scholarship initiative, independence, inventiveness (correlated with age, drops after age 40)
• Self assurance, confidence, aspiration, perceived occupational level • Reflection-- the “helicopter
factor" (being able to hover above and reflect on self and team), objectivity • Demographic
characteristics: good health, above or below average height, upper SES • Enthusiasm, sociability,
integrity, courage, imagination, decisiveness, determination, energy • Sociability: dependable,
responsible, active, socially participate, cooperative, popular • Motivation: show initiative and
persistence • Cognitive ability: intelligent, scholarly, insightful, verbal, adaptable

Flawed Leadership

Trends • In the past five years nearly 2/3 of all major companies worldwide replaced their CEOs • 35% of
all new executives entering a new position will fail (Center for Creative Leadership) • 40 percent of all
executives entering into new positions will either leave voluntarily, be terminated or receive an
unsatisfactory review within 18 months (Manchester Partners International) • 70% of CEO have
considered quitting, and 35% of top executives would say no to CEO position (Burson-Marsteller CEO
reputation study) • The typical Fortune 500 company has had 2.3 CEOs in the last decade (Center for
Executive Options) • 15% of the problems a consultant was hired to solve were related to narcissistic
managers. • Hertzberg (1968), and more recently Hogan, Raskin, and Fazzini (1990) report that the base
rate for flawed leadership is between 60-75% in organizations • the failure rate of corporate executives
in the US from the 1980's-90's was about 50% (DeVries, 1992).

Overview of GroupThink Team Stages of Development Leadership Promotion of Team Cohesion

Advantages of Cohesion 3 2 4 1 Team Pressure to Perform Flawed Organizational Structures Symptoms
of GroupThink Consequences of GroupThink Counter measures (Defective decision making, low
probability of success)
What makes an organizational culture a winner, in the extreme, can make it a loser

Experience impairs performance in low stress, but contributes to performance in high stress situations
Under high stress, leaders focus on relations and don’t focus intellect on the job—IQ is more effective in
low stress situations • Premises • cognitive resources refer to the leader's intelligence, ability, technical
competence • leaders make the best use of their cognitive resources under different situations • stress
is an important situational variable • use of intelligence & rationality is best under conditions of low
stress and high follower support and competence • use of prior experience/intuition is best under
conditions of very high stress

Requisite Crisis Leadership

Leadership during crises • Lateral bonds of identification and association • Vertical bonds of trust in
authority • Shared language, purpose, and values • Shared history of problem solving The key– develop
these before a crisis Ronald A. Heifetz, Founding Director for the Center for Public Leadership at the
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and author of Leadership Without Easy Answers

Survey of crisis leadership qualities

http://trevorcook.typepad.com/weblog/files/crisis_leadership_allan_schoenberg.pdf

Vision is nice, but doers and team players are more successful

Rudy Giuliani & Crisis Leadership • Onsite interview with Peter Jennings • 9-28 reflection

Communication • Convey the bad news without speculating or horrifying • Use expert knowledge from
others • Lead people through facts to conclusion • Relate to survival and recovery of similar incidents •
Return to normal soon as possible • Use technology & media to cover & communicate • Ask people to
help create solutions • Frequent press conferences • Focus on others and the task • Provide needed
information frequently • Provide reassurance and that situation is under control • Ask questions that
others are asking to shield from blame • Expect long term impact • Encourage stress management •
Praise others • Rally and enthuse others • Show optimism and speak to the future • Remind of
opportunities to change & fix broken system • Leader Presentation & Behavior • Be visible and present •
Respond immediately • Show confidence, poise, calm • Emotional IQ: show compassion, empathy •
Clarity of vision & values • Consistency & unified voice • Role model: strength, resiliency, endurance,
persistence, determination • Delegate to others • Practice stress management • Rehearse & practice
The Change Management Lessons of Mayor Guiliani • Articulate a positive vision of what you foresee as
the future • Maintain absolute integrity– do the right thing • Know your stuff– be fully informed,
minimize politics, and get the job done • Keep people informed and involved– encourage them to create
answers to important questions • Declare your expectations– you can’t get “there” until you know
where “there is, and communicate it to employees • Show uncommon commitment– they won’t unless
you do • Set clear limits with compassion– give people a choice in stark, clear terms (“iron hand in velvet
glove”) • Expect positive results– the higher your expectations, the higher you achieve

9. Get out in front– lead by pulling, not pushing; get out front where you can see and be seen • 10.
Create a graceful exit for those who want to leave, so long as they behave constructively • 11.Take care
of your people– and they’ll take care of you (& vice versa) • 12.Lavish praise on those who choose to
make a positive contribution– a most powerful weapon in maintaining order & success • Maintain a
moral compass-- Put duty before self; mission and people come first • Find meaning in negative events
and learn from even the most trying circumstances