leadership during crisis

2. 1.1 Leadership
 “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and
women to a common purpose and the character which
inspires confidence”- Bernard Montgomery.
 The ability to influence, motivate and enable one’s team to
contribute to the effectiveness and success of an
organisation for its members’ (Anand and Udayasariyan)
Or
 The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically
towards goals identified as being for the common good’ –
Hunter.

3.  Leadership is not necessarily about power, instead it is about authority.
 Power is the ability to ‘force or coerce’ someone to do one’s will, even if
they choose not to.
 Authority is defined as the ‘skill of getting people to willingly do your will
because of your personal influence’.
 Leadership is therefore viewed more as a skill used to influence followers
in an organisation to work enthusiastically towards goals specifically
identified for the common good while building relationships.
 Example: when considering the greatest leader of all times, the name of
the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)
 One can look at Biblical examples of leadership e.g.. Jesus Christ, Moses
and Joshua etc.
 A leader must have a vision which he influences others/followers to
subscribe to. (Where there is no vision people perish).
 A leader must have values, beliefs, correct attitude and build relationships.

4.  The Chinese define a crisis with two words ‘Danger’ or
‘Opportunity’.
 Crisis is also defined as calamity, cataclysm, emergency,
disaster, crossroads, crux, climax, culmination, point of no
return, turning point.
 A crisis normally arises unexpectedly and usually is
unforeseen.
 While a crisis is a risk – it is normally the type of an
unforeseen risk.
 A crisis that is not correctly managed can escalate or
deteriorate to a disaster, catastrophe (Reinhart Koselleck and
Michaela W. Richter 2006).

5.  Natural Crisis
 Technological Crisis
 Confrontation Crisis
 Crisis of Malevolence
 Crisis of Organizational Misdeeds
 Crisis of Skewed Management Values
 Crisis of Deception
 Crisis of Management Misconduct
 Crisis due to Workplace Violence
 Sudden Crisis

6.  The above competencies are more critical in times of
crisis than in normal situations.
 During crises, emotions are likely to rise because of the
feelings, perceptions and experiences that people have in
a crisis.
 Crisis puts leaders and their followers under pressure.
 Crisis creates panic particularly in followers.
Examples of crises that we have learnt or experienced
 The Battle of Great Britain.
 The Zimbabwean War for Independence.
 The currency crisis of 2007/2008.
 Drought and/ or floods.
 A fault in an Aircraft while flying.
 Cholera epidemic / Ebola epidemic.

7. In a crisis leaders need the following:
 Quickly get a grasp of what is happening.
 Gather resources needed for reaction e.g. financial,
logistical, skills or talent and quickly devise an action plan.
 They need to conquer fear and not panic- signs of fear,
indecision, paralysis or cowardice can quickly permeate to
followers and cause havoc.
 The way a leader behaves in a crisis is hugely influential
and therefore critical.
 Initial shock and surprise must quickly be replaced by
quick thinking.

8.  Synergise and create strong teams
 Silence in a crisis is not golden – It can be very destructive.
 Leaders need to communicate quickly their thoughts on the nature of
the crisis.
 Take initial mitigating measures and short term tactics and strategies to
tackle the crisis while assessing your options and strategies.
 Never lose sight of the long term vision although you can take a step
back to strategise and plan or refuel.
 Be innovative and think outside the box. Create new ways and methods
of doing things.
 Do not hang around people that you have no benefit from. Eagles fly
with eagles.
 A leader sees an opportunity in a crisis and not danger. Find out what
opportunities a crisis presents and take advantage of the opportunities
and mitigate the danger.

9.  Reduce the level of damage likely to be caused by lack of
readiness for a crisis. (Principle of mitigation of damages
in law).
 Use your experience if it is applicable.
‘ If we do not learn from history we become history’.
 Do not procrastinate during a crisis otherwise you
succumb to procrastination.
 Have the right attitude and do not stop sharpening the
axe.
 Be involved and lead from the front when in a crisis.
 Utilise your emotional intelligence skills in order to make
correct decisions.

10. QUOTES:
‘Winners win for themselves. Leaders make others
win’.
‘Leadership is a process, not a position.’
‘Leaders become great, not because of their power,
but because of the ability to empower others.’
J. C. Maxwell

11. Behaviors: That Help Leaders Manage a Crisis.
 The best leaders quickly process available information,
rapidly determine what matters most, and make decisions
with conviction.
Behavior: Adapt boldly.
 Strong leaders get ahead of changing circumstances. They
seek input and information from diverse sources, are not
afraid to admit what they don’t know, and bring in outside
expertise when needed.

12. Behaviour: Reliably deliver.
 The best leaders take personal ownership in a crisis, even
though many challenges and factors lie outside their control.
They align team focus, establish new metrics to monitor
performance, and create a culture of accountability.
Behaviour: Engage for impact.
 Effective leaders are understanding of their team’s
circumstances and distractions, but they find ways to engage
and motivate, clearly and thoroughly communicating
important new goals and information.

13. THE END