Top 6 Leadership Skills for Times of Crisis
Whether the markets are falling, the value of the dollar is dropping, the country is facing a depression, or your company is late on all projects, you must stand your ground as a leader. In times of crisis, your calmness, knowledge, charisma, and connections must come to play.
The behavior of a leader in times of crisis determines the success or fall of a company. Some of the skills that you need include:
Flexibility to Deal with Uncertainty
In times of crisis, your intellectual flexibility comes in handy. Flexibility allows you to seek solutions from within and without to salvage the success of a company. This way, you can stay on top of the problem while avoiding stress and overwork, which comes with managing problems. In a crisis, you are uncertain what will happen the next day, and you just have to be ready. If the markets are falling, the next day might be worse or be better, but is the company or organization anchored to handle what may come?
Communication Skills
Leaders are good communicators in times of crisis and at any other time. When a crisis kicks in, the enormous overflows and the stress of finding a solution might affect communication channels. One way to find a solution, however, is to stay in touch with collaborators. For instance, a charity organization running late on almost all projects can regain its footing by keeping in touch with donors.
Leaders also need to communicate the progress with their superiors and employees. Speaking with employees brings to light the effects of the processes and efforts carried out and motivate them to keep working. This strengthens the team and allows them to find a solution fast.
Cooperation
Some companies merge during times of crises to share resources and survive the onslaught. Some companies may not stand alone and survive a crisis but when they merge, they can share resources and each company can survive.
If your company or organization can survive without a merger, cooperation with other companies/organizations/agencies is still needed. For instance, if your company makes the best electric smoker made in the USA, it might need to cooperate with other businesses that deal with barbeque and grilled foods such as restaurants and also affiliate marketers. This way, the company will keep selling its smokers even in times of crisis which will put the business ahead.
Leaders who refuse to cooperate are left to their own elements – to find solutions within. The process can be stressful when you work alone.
Courage, Perseverance, and Consistency
These are the qualities that show your personality. As a leader, you have to remain calm and show your employees that it is possible to find a solution without panicking. Again, you might be forced to take some bold steps to mitigate the problem, and you need the courage to do that.
In times of crisis, you might have to lay off some of your most skilled employees, which takes courage. You might also need to take another bold step and effect pay cuts on your employees. These are steps you may not want to take but may be necessary to deal with the crisis.
Empathy
You will not always be there for your team when dealing with other aspects of a crisis. However, you still need to make them feel your presence. When you can, you should be available and accessible. You need to recognize the minute efforts that your employees make to keep them motivated to work even harder.
Ability to Make Tough Decisions and Make action plans
The success of your company or organization depends on the sobriety of the action plan you set. Your competence in creating an action plan needs to be undoubtedly great. On normal days, conventional action plans work. When a crisis hits, a leader needs to come up with an appropriate development strategy.
The leader also needs to make instant decisions any time they are consulted. You might be woken up at the middle of the night that hackers have ransomed your organization. Still in your pajamas, you need to make a decision.
Conclusion
You need to be there for your team at all times. Whether there is a crisis or it is just a normal day.