Running head: CRISIS LEADERSHIP 1

Crisis Leadership

[Name of student]

[Institution of Affiliation]
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 2

When a citizen requests the fire department or an ambulance, firefighters and fire officers

alike get an immediate adrenaline rush as the dispatcher notifies them of the call for service. The

risk on any emergency scene can be unpredictable but it is inherent in the job itself. This section

will explore crisis leadership and leadership styles to capture a better understanding of why fire

officers and other public safety officials make decisions in the manner in which they do.

Leaders who make critical decisions frequently operate in a risk paradox by which the

decisions must be metered against the risk of operational exposure and disclosure to key

stakeholders (Blythe & Noakes-Fry, 2014). Many industries regulate potential operational

exposure through the enactment of laws, ordinances, policies or procedures to govern the

framework or parameters that decisions can be made (In Rhodes & In Hart, 2014). Humans must

ultimately make decisions that can affect the long-term viability of a corporation, stability of a

conflict, or sustainability of other human beings.

When making decisions, though, what leadership qualities do crisis leaders exhibit which

make them a stronger leader than others? Crises involve negative human emotions such as

anxiety, fear, panic, depression, and desperation (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Jindal 2010

discovered subordinate employees rely on their formal or informal leaders emotions as an

interpretation tool for basing their own decisions. If a perceived leaders emotional construct is

negative, then the situation at hand may be perceived as dire whereas if the leader demonstrates a

positive attitude, employees may be more willing to undertake greater risks to attain an increased

benefit such as stabilization of an incident.

What differentiates a leader from an ordinary individual in making critical decisions?

Echols, (2011) hypothesized leaders heavily rely on sense making to rationalize their decisions

by identifying the known facts of the situation while minimizing any personal fears that are
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 3

present. The sense making process begins after a critical triggering event has occurred which

can rapidly induce high levels of stress in an individual. When a triggering event occurs, people

often revert to familiar behaviors or training that was received prior to the event occurring.

Effective leadership has the ability to neutralize stress and conflict almost as soon as it occurs, if

the risk can be anticipated (Blythe & Noakes-Fry, 2014). When a risk threatens a person or an

organization, leaders must take action to restore the environment to a state of homeostasis. Poor

leaders often attempt to rationalize their decisions by justifying that there are no possible

alternatives. Because crises are rare events, most organizations do not have much experience in

managing them. Leaders who do not recognize the potential magnitude of leadership aversion

are hindered in their ability to mitigate a crisis before it becomes unmanageable (In Rhodes & In

Hart, 2014).

The literature has clearly stressed the importance of leadership in effectively managing

crisis. However, one could argue that crisis leadership is even more important when dealing

with volunteers. When employees are driven by a motivation to want to participate as opposed

to having to participate, navigating a crisis and retaining morale should be a top priority for

leaders Blythe, (2014) affirmed, leaders must rely on their sense making ability to minimize their

own fears while rationalizing the decisions that must be made to stabilize the crisis. The modern

emergency service organization is dynamic and crisis can be either an internal threat driven by

organizational politics or an external threat arising from an emergency call for service.

Regardless, leaders who are charged with decision-making in this environment must be able to

predict and attempt to prevent the crisis from occurring in the first place or at least make it

manageable such that it can be overcome through a team effort (Kouzes & Posner, 2012).
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 4

In any organization just like the firefighters department, leadership plays a tremendous

role in the success of the success of the team. Poor leadership skills may lead to the of

emergence of various problems and inconveniences. In many organizations, it is imperative to

employ or use the five elements of production. That is workforce, money, material,

manufacturing, and management. In most cases, the importance of leadership always relies on

the level of quality of planning, controlling, organizing, and directing. It is thus important for

leaders to use their leadership skills to unite their employees to put their efforts together so as to

achieve the organization's goals and objectives. There are various styles of leadership that can be

used by the organization so as to achieve their aims and objectives. However, not all of these

styles apply to any group. Therefore, it is important for crisis leaders to identify those styles that

suit their organizations well apparently.

Leadership styles

The authoritarian leadership

This is the type of leadership whereby a leader mobilizes his or her employees towards a

shared vision. It is most generally used in the military. This method works best when an

organization requires a new vision due to change in circumstances. It can also be used when

specific guidelines are no longer needed by the organization. Authoritarian leaders usually

motivate entrepreneurial spirit and vivacious zeal for the mission. Therefore, this method is only

suitable when a manager is working with a team of expert who doesnt know more than he or she

does.

Democratic leadership

In this case, the manager usually builds consensus through active participation. Most

Democratic leaders often believe in the proficiencies of the rights of others to contribute to the
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 5

decision-making process. This style of leadership decision-making to as what do you think.

This style is effective when the democratic leader needs the team to buy into or have possession

of a decision, goal, or plan, or if he or she is tentative and requires fresh ideas from experienced

teammates. Therefore, this method is not suitable for emergency situations such as firefighting

when time is of the quintessence for another reason (Blythe & Noakes-Fry, 2014). Additionally,

it is also effective when workers are competent and when the leader is unclear about the suitable

approach towards a given problem. However, it is less efficient during emergencies and when

employees lack crucial information.

Pacesetter Leadership

In this case, the leader typically set high-performance standards for everybody including

himself or herself. This style is also referred to as do as I do now since it models and

excellence and self-direction. As far as this may sound admirable to many leaders, statistics

indicates the contrary. In most cases, pacesetters usually have a problem trusting their teammates

or followers. This is because their self-esteem typically rests on being smarter, quicker, and more

through than every person. These leaders involuntarily undermine the effort and morale or their

teammates and followers. Therefore, this style is most useful in making an organization move

fast, developing worker who is similar to the leaders, managing individual contributors, and

when employees are highly motivated. Nevertheless, this method is less efficient when the

crucial is unable to accomplish his or her task and when workers need direction and

coordination.

Affiliate leadership

In affiliate leadership style, the leader is usually the master at setting up positive

relationships. This style is distinguished by the high level of trust, loyalty, and transparency
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 6

among the leaders and their followers. The affiliate manager usually gives positive feedbacks

which keep everybody on the course. This style of leadership is usually most effective when used

in giving personal assistance, conflicting teams to work as a team, and sometimes as part of a

repertoire. On the contrary, this style is less efficient when workers performance is inadequate,

workers who are task oriented, and in the circumstance that requires clear direction and control.

During the crisis, proper leadership skills are needed in managing the crisis. Confronting

reality is one of the most important factors a leader should consider. Reality begins with the

person in control of the organization (In Rhodes & In Hart, 2014). Therefore, leaders should

critically examine their role in creating the problem and how to curb them. In such cases, they

should gather their followers and determine the root causes of the crisis. To understand the

reasons of the crisis, it is important for every member of the team to tell the truth which may be

impossible if leaders don't recognize their existence. As a result, the leader should not shy away

from the consequences of what they see since they think of what is best for the organization and

not their personal gains.

Leadership is imperative in managing crisis especially disasters and emergencies. This

can help in minimizing the damage imposed by an event due to lack of successful leadership

skills. It is thus important for leaders to have individual skills and abilities to manage crisis based

on the organization they lead, environmental conditions, and the scope of the disaster (Kouzes &

Posner, 2012).

Management of routine emergencies and catastrophes entails a broad range of leadership

management skills proficiencies. The primary role of emergency management is to create a

policy and implement programs that will help to minimize vulnerability, protect the environment,

improve organizational goals, and limit the loss of property and life. Under the confusing and
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 7

stressful circumstances of emergencies, leaders are expected to manage the incident successfully

and move individuals out of danger. Crisis and leadership are entangled in that they have a

nature to supplement one another. As a result, it is the duty of a leader to react to threats and

doubts steaming from crises. Despite the adverse effects of the crisis, leaders usually have a

window of opportunity to reform organizational structures and long-standing strategies that can

help in solving the mystery.

Due to technological advancement, modern governments are well equipped to handle

crisis more successfully that kingdoms or empires in the past. Nowadays, to oversee during the

crisis, it is imperative that leaders rely on lawfulness and trust of the citizens. If this is not done,

the operation will automatically breakdown which will lead to chaos with adverse consequences

and outcomes. Thus, during such time, leaders should utilize a sense of urgency in their decision-

making plans. For instance, in the case of firefighters, the leader may be caught by total surprise.

If this surprise is not handled appropriately, then chaos is likely to occur.

According to Kouzes, (2012), there exist five main tasks that leaders should utilize to

curb the crisis. Sense making is crucial since it helps the manager to identify the real cause of the

crisis and formulate a strategy on how to get rid of any factor that could have been avoided.

Secondly, decision making and coordination are also paramount when curbing crisis since it

helps the leader to gather many disaster responders as possible. Leaders are in the public eye to

direct the people in the right direction. Leaders should be able to motivate the public that they

will succumb the crisis no matter the situation. The leader should be able to come up with

lessons that can be learned from the shortfalls of the entire process.

A combination of natural and learned skills are very crucial for the crisis management

team. For example, a real crisis leader should motivate people to follow them. However, this
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 8

may sound naive; a good crisis management team leader should have the inherent ability to calm,

inspire, and empower employees during the response to an emergency or crisis (Kouzes &

Posner, 2012). Therefore, the leader should be able to impart confidence and connect

intellectually and emotionally with the executive and other crisis management team. In most

situations, not all leaders have the guts to make a quick and confident decision. In intense

situations, most leaders are usually perplexed and may end up making or giving wrong

directives. However, according to Jindal (2010), leaders can be trained on how to encounter such

situations without fear. Leaders elected is such position should thus have a faster and quick

decision-making capability so as to save the situation at hand. For instance, in the case of fire

emergency, a leader should be able to make a quick and wise decision since the event solely

depends on time and actions.

A good leader should also provide the crisis management teams with focus and direction. Acting

hurriedly may make the team nervous and confused. This may make them lose focus and act

inappropriately. Therefore, the leader should be able to determine what matters hence allowing

necessary actions and measure to be taken quickly (Jindal et al. 2010). Other than that, he or she

should provide directions on how and what should be done to curb the situation. Giving these

instructions will help the team to work efficiently and quickly so as to achieve the goals set. The

leader should also assist the team in decision making. In some situation such as firefighting,

leaders decision, and experience plays a tremendous role in the overall outcome of the crisis.

Proper communication is also an important factor that manager should consider. Well,

implemented communication schemes are essential to emergency response. For that reason, a

crisis leader should be able to combine both natural abilities to empower and inspire with clear,

direct communication.
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 9

In a nutshell, crisis leadership may seem a daunting task to many people. However, due

to the advancement in technology, many leaders have embraced the current technology in

curbing the crisis. For instance, nowadays, people rely on cellphones and other fast

communication devices to convey information about certain emergencies such as fire breakouts

and emergencies. Unlike in the past, such information took long before they were sent to the in

charge authorities. Kingdoms and empires used to rely on smoke and horns to convey such

information which was affected by weather conditions such as wind or rain. Therefore, for

individuals leading people during the crisis, it is important to critically diagnose the crisis and

make use of leadership styles. Also, a combination of all the leadership styles will be of great

importance since not all team members will be pleased by certain leadership styles.
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 10

References

Blythe, B. T., & Noakes-Fry, K. (2014). Blindsided: A manager's guide to crisis leadership.

Brookfield, Conn: Rothstein Pub.

In Rhodes, R. A. W., & In Hart, P. . (2014). The Oxford handbook of political leadership.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary

things happen in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Echols, S., & England, A. (2011). Catastrophic crisis: Ministry leadership in the midst of trial and

tragedy. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Academic.

Jindal, B., Schweizer, P., & Anderson, C. (2010). Leadership and crisis. Washington, D.C:

Regnery Pub.
CRISIS LEADERSHIP 11