A Blueprint for Crisis Leadership

Extract from the latest edition of Crisis Response Journal 14:4 October 2019

Leadership in any setting is about influence. It isn’t a skill that you’re born with, but something that can be strengthened and developed over time. It takes practice, commitment and huge amounts of resilience, none more so than in the sphere of crisis leadership.

From having observed over 250 different types of crises occurring all over the world, five key leadership principles were evident that led to a successful resolution in these cases. It didn’t matter whether the crisis was a cyberattack, a kidnap for ransom, an emergency evacuation or any other threat to an organisation's resilience. Regardless of whether a person’s life hung in the balance or the very viability or existence of a global organisation was faced with extreme challenges and uncertainty, the key principles remained the same.

So what enabled the best leaders and high-performing teams to successfully resolve such situations? What did they specifically focus on that enabled them to overcome and achieve where others failed?

STEPPING UP: Self Leadership And Creating A Winning Mindset

In a crisis there is no room for ego. The most effective leaders realise this and park theirs at the door. Only once a leader is able to manage their thoughts and behaviour effectively, can they begin to influence their teams. They have great self-awareness and know all too well the importance of taking time to engage the team before any crisis actually occurs. They encourage comments, observations and advice from others but are always prepared to challenge assumptions, particularly their own.

Nor do such leaders seek to play the hero in its popular sense, despite most crises offering the opportunity to do so. The Latin root of ‘hero’ actually translates as ‘protect’ or ‘serve’. Great leadership is therefore servant leadership; which is not being naive or weak, but comes from a place of contributing to the greater good, of the mission, the team or the organisation; showing empathy and compassion through meaningful action. The best leaders have a clear sense of purpose, which sustains them when the going gets tough. And it always gets tough, never more so than in a crisis.

This is why in a kidnap for ransom case for example, the primary outcome is always the safe and timely recovery of the victim, rather than apprehending the offenders. This requires tremendous courage and strength to have difficult conversations whether with the family or even the kidnappers themselves and to make tough decisions, often with incomplete or contradictory information, and while staying focused on achieving the strategic objective in the face of adversity.

GETTING A GRIP: Identifying And Leading Your Team

The initial response to a crisis should be decisive, with an intent to bring clarity and perspective to what is usually a chaotic and unclear situation. Never is it more crucial to have what Jim Collins described as: “The right people on the right bus, sitting in the right seats,” when responding to a crisis. Urgently forming a small Crisis Management Team (CMT), with clearly defined roles and responsibilities to ensure efficient and effective discussion and decision-making, is key. If required, an Incident Management Team (IMT) can also be stood up at the tactical level to report into the CMT.

The most pressing issue for the chair of the CMT is to take 100 per cent responsibility for the situation and to accept the reality of what’s being faced. At the same time, it is vital to remember that being ‘calm is contagious’ and essential for the leader to provide direction and then empower the team to deliver. The most effective leaders also avoid burying their heads in the sand and are always expecting the best, but preparing for the worst. Nor do they avoid asking (and answering) those difficult questions that arise in such situations.

Another factor is building resilience among their teams, as depending upon the nature of the crisis, the duration could be a matter of hours, days, weeks or even months. No one can go flat out indefinitely, so establishing a workable battle rhythm for the long haul is crucial to ensure such resilience and enable effective decision-making.

SO WHAT & NOW WHAT? Applying The Strategies

Once the CMT (and potentially IMT) is established, the key question asked to be asked is: “So what?” followed by "Now what?" What does this mean for the family, team, organisation, etc? Is it merely a minor bump in the road and unlikely to disrupt the business? Or is it likely to be game over, with catastrophic consequences? To assist in this, the leader must rapidly ascertain who the key stakeholders are, how they are affected, how they should be communicated with, and with what message throughout the crisis.

Once this has been established, the leader can then clearly articulate working strategies. In a kidnap for ransom scenario again, one of these strategies would be to determine how much the organisation or the family are willing and able to pay for the release of the victim. It’s then a case of holding your nerve through the delicate negotiations, while balancing the need for flexibility to improvise, adapt and overcome as the crisis develops.

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS: Becoming A Persuasion Ninja

A well-thought through and effectively used communications plan is fundamental to a successful resolution in any crisis situation. Crucially, this is not the same as the Marketing or PR department quickly throwing together a press release. Crisis communication is one of the two fundamental components of crisis management, with the other being operational incident management. It’s possible to do the latter well, yet mess up the former, thereby exacerbating the situation even further.

In a kidnap or extortion case, effective communication is literally a matter of life and death. A wily kidnapper will explore all avenues to spread confusion, contacting as many members of the victim’s family, community or company as they can in order to obtain as much money as they can. Effective leadership seeks to narrow the options for the bad guys by focussing communications to ‘One voice, One number, One message’. With the help of experts to coach and guide, the company or family selects a communicator who will become the single point of contact with the kidnappers.

Having established rapport and listened intently, the communicator is then able to convey the clear messaging agreed by either the CMT or IMT, with the intent to influence the kidnappers. The communicator is not the decision-maker though, thus allowing a firewall to be created, which provides necessary breathing space and thinking time.

REVIEW & REPEAT: Future Proofing For Success

No effective leader is an island and they neglect their support crew at their peril, whether that is their family, colleagues or others outside of the organisation. What they have is a relentless pursuit of constant improvement and learning for themselves and their teams. The training never stops, as there are always new skills to learn or existing ones to refine. Indeed, such leaders embed a training and learning culture, rather than one of blaming and shaming.

In summary, effective leadership in any form of crisis requires a quick response, with the setting of clear, unambiguous strategies to achieve the desired outcome. The effective leader can then influence what should be a united, purpose-driven team to achieve this outcome, with the focus being on empowering others to become effective leaders, too.