Week 12 Post 1: Crisis Management

On Monday Colleen and I presented on the topic of crisis management. This topic focuses on how an organization or business goes about dealing with a sudden emergency situation that occurs within their organization. A crisis is any event that that leads to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community or whole society. Crises result in negative changes in security, economic, political, or environmental affairs. This is especially true when they occur abruptly, with little or no warning. Some defining characteristics of a crisis are that; the event is unexpected, it leads to uncertainty, is seen as a threat to important organizational goals, and the event results in a need for change. We found that there are a few different types of crises. A business or professional crisis is any situation that may hurt the integrity of one’s team, department, or organization as a whole. Some examples of this are financial losses or any discriminatory lawsuits against an organization.  A public relations crisis is any situation that may hurt an organization’s image. An example of this type of crisis would a hospital employee who is stealing drugs from the hospital for personal use. The last type of crisis we researched were personal crises which is any situation that may interrupt a manager’s ability to lead. An example of this would be a death in the family or going through a divorce.

I found an article that described key characteristics of good leaders during times of crisis. The list is as follows:

• Don’t allow their emotions to get in the way - Strong-willed leaders can maintain their composure and still express concern and care, but not to the point that their emotions become a distraction

• Don’t take things personally - By doing so, it makes it difficult to maintain your composure and make those around you believe that you have things under control.

• Keep a Positive Mental Attitude - A positive attitude can neutralize chaos and allow a leader to inspire faith in employees.

• Keep Composure - During uncertain times, leaders must remain fearless and project a cool persona that communicates composure to those they lead.

• Respond Decisively - Speak with conviction, confidence and authority – whether they know the answer or not.  With their delivery alone, they give their employees a sense that everything is under control.

• Take Accountability - When leaders assume accountability, they begin to neutralize the problem and seek a solution.

• Communicative - Communicate the appropriate actions to employees in a timely manner.

(paraphrased from the Forbes article - https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/01/20/7-ways-leaders-maintain-their-composure-in-difficult-times/#5a7732821573)

I believe that these are certainly important characteristics to have as a leader or manager who has to deal with a crisis in their organization. I will definitely remember these characteristics and try to exemplify them in the future because I know that sooner or later in my career I will be put in a position where I have to manage a crisis.

An example of a good leader during a crisis situation was Mayor Rudy Giuliani, after the 911 attacks on the twin towers in New York City. Giuliani exemplified robust leadership skills during one of the biggest crises in U.S history. After the attacks, Giuliani coordinated the response of various city departments. He also organized the support of state and federal authorities for the World Trade Center site and the restoration of its infrastructure, as well as for city-wide anti-terrorist measures. He made many appearances on live television to acknowledge the public of the crisis as well as ensure them of their safety. Many people say he played a bigger role in making America feel safe after the attacks due to the fact that he responded very swiftly and communicated to the public what was happening. While President Bush was at an elementary school in Florida and took a while to leave the school and address the media on the crisis. Mayor Giuliani was named Time’s Person of the Year in 2001 for his leadership efforts following the 9/11 attacks. Time stated that, “prior to 9/11, the public image of Giuliani had been that of a rigid, self-righteous, ambitious politician. After 9/11, his public image changed to that of a strong man who could be counted on to unite a city in the midst of its greatest crisis”.