How to identify Leaders in Crisis?
Leadership in a crisis situation is very different from leadership in a time of normal conditions. The global financial crisis has showcased differences in leadership styles. When it is told sometime in the future it will be a story of leadership success and leadership failure. Those close to the collapse already provide information that several of the faltering institutions planted the seed of their demise in who they appointed to leadership roles. Other stories identify individuals whose organizations have survived because of their courageous and thoughtful leadership.
Few Major characteristics of Successful Crisis leaders
- Seeing Reality. Strong crisis leaders live on the edge of reality. They perceive occasions and their essential’s and don’t timid far from the results of what they see. Intellectual veracity is a key element of their gene; they think of what is best for the organization, not their own personal gain.
- Tactic and Insights.Crisis Leader has detail insights and is capable to see the larger picture. They delve profound into point of interest without being buried in it and can understand cause and effect of while executing there strategies. They quickly develop a very detailed knowledge of the issues. This ability further enhances their capacity to view the problem realistically.
- Many Alternatives. When they have recognized the issues, they are willing to consider numerous ways to how these may be tended to. At first, they connect with others in conceptualizing potential arrangements without preconceived notion, despite the fact that they may have a favored arrangement as a top priority. They are confident enough to know and acknowledge that their way may not be the most ideal way.
- Firmness. Key ingredient of successful crisis leader is taking stand for the decisions they have taken for the organization. They know they need to “sell” it to key shareholders and work diligently to ensure organizational resistance does not block the effectiveness of the decision. Strong leaders will use a blend of real-time data along with their “guts”; the intelligence built on years of leadership experience.
- Multi-dimensional Thinking. Unsuccessful leaders snoop only to those who agree with them and often encourage one-dimensional thinking. An effective crisis leader seeks out individuals who have a diverse viewpoint on a problem. They are not afraid of including those individual whom they may not agree with and whose understanding may be contradicting to their nearest consultants for gaining better knowledge on issue.
- Stay positive. They understand a feeling of criticality and stay calm. They perceive that an association, a nation or the world is viewing them and realize that how they display themselves will give nonverbal signs to the crowd. They will deliver bad news when they need to and do it in a way that avoids panic and provides a realistic level of hope for the future. Above all, they are courageous enough to make decisions they believe to be the right ones, regardless of whether they are the more popular ones.
- Take risk in the adversity. Crises often bring the pioneer eye to eye with an arrangement of circumstances they have not beforehand seen. There are questions to which they do not know the answers. Gathering contrarian viewpoints from individuals with whom they might not agree, but respect, likely means they may create solutions not previously tried, and outcomes of which may be unknown. If it is the best solution, however, the strong leader is prepared to take the calculated risk.
- Decision Making. Leaders unquestionably need to make the right set of decisions. Strong leaders comprehend they won’t generally have all of the information they required. They know that making an imperfect decision can often be better than making no decision at all. Regardless of the possibility that the decision needs to be “modified” for execution they are open to making it.
- Take ownership of mistakes. Leaders take calculated risk, but there is always a chance of making mistake at some point in time as complete information is not available for decision making as required. The number of decisions needs to be made in crisis situation and not all decision falls on right path, a successful leader is prepared to take responsibility of gaffes.
Not every leader will have all qualities in equivalent extent; some will be stronger in one area than another. However, most leaders who are successful managing through deep crises will possess a majority of these characteristics.
