1. Linking Crisis Management
& Leadership Competencies:
March 2012

2. 2
How are Competencies Used?
Organization Strategy
Talent Strategy
Talent Acquisition Talent Management
Competencies
• Recruiting
• Selection
• Employee Assimilation
• Performance Management
• Rewards and Recognition
• Succession Planning
• Career Planning
• Leadership & Employee Development

3. 3
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Connectivity
Situational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Emotional
Effectiveness
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
This model lays out the nine competencies that were determined to be
the most critical for leaders in a Crisis response situation.

4. 4
Key Behaviors:
 Communicates effectively and concisely with internal and external audiences
in the face of limited, unknown, stressful, and negative situations.
 Expresses the crisis situation, mission, expectations for response team
members and decisions in clear and compelling terms appropriate for the
target audience
 Initiates communication using vertical and horizontal channels of
communication to keep leadership, peers and subordinates informed.
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Communication
Competency Statement:
Communicates during times of crisis in a timely, clear,
accurate, and truthful manner.ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
CredibilityEmotional
Effectiveness
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Communication

5. 5
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Connectivity
 Interacts effectively with officials, leadership, subordinates and peers from
different agencies and organizations to engage in cross-functional activities,
share information, and facilitate collaboration across organizational domains.
 Uses influence and diplomacy skills to reach a goal, to build consensus, or to
resolve a conflict.
 Links knowledge of networks to successfully accomplish mission objectives.
Competency Statement:
Activates a network of partners that spans
organizational domains and multi-jurisdictional
agencies, and meets the immediate (and changing)
needs of the response.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Connectivity
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Emotional
Effectiveness

6. 6
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Courage and Perseverance
 Takes appropriate risks and accepts responsibility for the outcome.
 Addresses resistance quickly, rationally, and fairly with due consideration.
 Perseveres under difficult circumstances.
 Displays steadfast adherence to public health priorities despite hardship or
obstruction.
Competency Statement:
Displays strength, confidence and persistence when
faced with danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Courage and
Perseverance
Emotional
Effectiveness

7. 7
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Credibility
 Demonstrates knowledge and experience in their area of expertise.
 Exhibits humility; recognizes personal strengths and weaknesses; looks to others for
guidance on topics outside of personal expertise; admits to mistakes and takes
corrective action.
 Discerns the appropriate information to share, and when to engage others in
conversations, decisions and actions.
 Acts in accordance with public health ethics, public health law, and organizational values
for the common good of those responding to and impacted by the crisis.
Competency Statement:
Demonstrates expertise and trustworthiness in the
midst of crisis; earns the confidence and respect of
senior leaders, peers and subordinates.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Credibility
Emotional
Effectiveness

8. 8
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Decisiveness
 Gathers facts, solicits input, makes reasonable and appropriate assumptions, consults
with critical stakeholders, and weighs the benefits and risks in order to make and
execute decisions quickly with incomplete or limited information.
 Makes decisions rapidly; based on prior experience, intuition, and knowledge of
established protocols.
 Applies appropriate decision making processes – systematic problem solving verses
experience / intuitively derived -- based on the conditions and context of the emergency
response situation.
 Perceives and anticipates the impact and implications of decisions.
 Assesses and adjusts decisions and actions in response to changing information.
Competency Statement:
Makes critical, timely decisions when faced with
ambiguous information about the disaster and response
efforts.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Decisiveness
Emotional
Effectiveness

9. 9
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Emotional Effectiveness
 Demonstrates self-awareness and responds constructively to problems and
difficult interactions.
 Recognizes survival instincts and signs of stress, demonstrates mental
discipline, and maintains control.
 Considers and responds to the needs, feelings, and capabilities of team
members, stakeholders and individuals impacted by the crisis.
 Promotes an environment of safety, connectedness, and hope.
Competency Statement:
Recognizes the impact crisis has on one’s self and
others, and promotes positive interactions under
emergency response conditions.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
CredibilityEmotional
Intelligence
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Emotional
Effectiveness

10. 10
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Integrative Thinking
 Synthesizes information into a coherent plan with a clear, yet flexible, strategy and
priorities demonstrated through operations, tactics, and logistics.
 Re-adjusts objectives based on changing priorities to align capacity and create desired
results.
 Proactively assesses and addresses both day-to-day and long term problems and
opportunities.
 Anticipates probable and possible events; develops innovative and adaptive solutions to
current and potential crisis situations.
Competency Statement:
Identifies what is critically important during an
emergency and uses the information to strategically
lead, balance priorities, and anticipate consequences.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Integrative
Thinking
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Emotional
Effectiveness

11. 11
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Situational Awareness
 Compiles a plausible picture of the situation that is compatible with the
known facts and potential outcomes.
 Acquires, represents, interprets, and utilizes relevant information in order to
make sense of current events, to anticipate future developments, and to
make intelligent decisions.
 Demonstrates awareness of environment and activities; stays abreast of the
mission status; continually assesses and reassesses the situation.
Competency Statement:
Identifies, processes, and comprehends the critical
elements of an emergency with public health
consequences.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Situational
Awareness
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Emotional
Effectiveness

12. 12
Crisis Leadership Competency Model
Team Leadership
 Models actions and behaviors that inspire and motivate positive responses from team
members during a crisis.
 Takes initiative to identify key cross-functional team personnel needed; obtains required
resources and information so team members may effectively respond to the crisis.
 Recognizes, acknowledges and addresses the impact of stress on their team during a crisis
and makes themselves available and visible to the team when responding to the event.
 Delegates roles, responsibilities, and decisions appropriately; shares responsibility,
accountability and recognition; gives guidance, and promotes autonomy for others to make
decisions within guidelines during the crisis.
 Manages and resolves disputes and disagreements among team members in a positive and
constructive manner.
 Demonstrates flexibility when confronted with deviations from standard procedures;
monitors changes in the performance of other team members.
 Develops, communicates, and monitors expectations for team performance.
Competency Statement:
Leads, inspires, motivates, and guides emergency
response team members in a safe and effective
manner.
Key Behaviors:
ConnectivitySituational
Awareness
Decisiveness
Credibility
Courage and
Perseverance
Integrative
Thinking
Team
Leadership
Communication
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Team
Leadership
CrisisCrisis
LeadershipLeadership
CompetencyCompetency
ModelModel
Emotional
Effectiveness

13. 13
Integration
Four-Tier Leadership Competencies
Basic
Leadership
Supervisor Manager Executive
All Core
Competencies,
plus:
Flexibility
Interpersonal Skills
Self-Direction
Technical Credibility
Project
Management
Performance
Management
Leveraging
Diversity
All Basic
Competencies,
plus:
Resilience
Conflict
Management
Team Building
Influencing /
Negotiating
Human Resources
Management
Service Motivation
Accountability
All Supervisors
Competencies,
plus:
Creativity/
Innovation
Financial
Management
Technology
Management
Entrepreneurship
Organizational
Systems Awareness
All Managers
Competencies,
plus:
Strategic Thinking
Vision
External Awareness
Political Savvy
Emergency Response
Competencies
• Emergency
Management Systems
• Agency Preparedness
and Emergency
Response Roles
• Informatics Support for
Responses
• Risk Communication
and Media Relations
• All Hazards Concepts
• Disaster Mental Health
Four-Tier Leadership Competencies (supplement )
• Cultural Awareness
• Dealing with Ambiguity
• Emotional Intelligence
Crisis Leadership Competencies
• Communication
• Connectivity
• Courage and Perseverance
• Situational Awareness
• Team Leadership
• Emotional Effectiveness
• Integrative Thinking
• Credibility
• Decisiveness
• Ethics
• HHS/CDC Operations
• Leads Change
• Personal Leadership
The crisis leadership competencies supplement both the four-tier
leadership competencies and the emergency response competencies.

14. 14
Next Steps
Competency Assessment
 Load the competencies into
the LMS.
 Encourage all current and
potential emergency
response leaders to
complete online competency
assessments.
Curriculum Development
 Map existing courses and
developmental opportunities
to competencies.
 Identify gaps, competencies
that are not appropriately
addressed with existing
curriculum.
 Gather data from competency
assessments to determine the
most significant areas for
development for the
population as a whole.
 Design and develop blended
curriculum for competencies
not currently addressed with
existing curriculum and those
identified as a key workforce
areas for development.
 Ensure crisis leadership is
addressed within the PAHPA /
HSPD-21 core curriculum
initiative.
Talent Selection
 Integrate competencies into
the CDC Incident Manager job
action sheet.
 Utilize competencies to inform
selection of key CDC IMS
leaders.
The competency model will be used for assessments, curriculum
development, and selection. The actions below will enable these activities.