Archive for the ‘Executive Training’ Category
The Profile of a Crisis Management Leader – A BALANCE of Plans, Processes, and Posture
Emergency Managers love to quote Snoopy who said, “Five minutes before the party is not the time to learn to dance.” They, of course, are referring to the Crisis Manager or Leader – who should be well prepared for the leadership moment as well as the sustained management of continued response, containment, control, and eventual recovery to normal operations.
Well – Snoopy is right. No matter how good you are, you can’t be briefed five minutes before the big one on what to do and how to do it – and expect to succeed.
A Crisis Management Leader is a balance of three primary components:
- Plans – which are decisions made in advance
- Processes – which are systems and organized resources
- Posture – which is how one looks, acts and communicates
If I were to be pressed to give a percentage score – I would say it is the following:
- 35% Plans – which are the solid foundation for any crisis management program – plans are the intelligent and progressive development and roll-out of anticipatory decisions and actions to confront, mediate, mitigate and neutralize the crisis situation until it is no longer an emergency.
- 35% Processes – which are the implementation of plans into systems and resources. This is essential to being able to operate and take action – providing real time information exchange, the dissemination of directions, information and the tracking and management of operations.
- 30% Posture – posture is composure, readiness, confidence, and the appearance of full understanding and capability that the leader knows what to do – this may not be the solution or answer to the problem, but it is the pathway to determine the answer and the authoritative direction to get to that end. Posture is the ability to communicate succinctly, with authority to influence and direct the entire organization toward the objectives and end goal of containing the hazard or threat and restoring the situation to normal. Posture is best exhibited in communication – verbal, non-verbal and written (digital) to all entities, internal and external.
Notwithstanding Snoopy’s wisdom, if a Crisis Management Leader has a good written plan and reliable tested processes in place, they can, in 5 minutes, construct their posture of leadership when facing a sudden crisis situation. It isn’t learning how to dance; it is more of knowing that you have to now dance, deciding which dance to dance, what steps to take, and being light on the feet, always ready for a change in the music.
My tag line, should I use one, would be my Grandma’s saying to me as I was walking out the door to life, “Jan, straighten up your posture, stand tall and look good.”
Same to you, Crisis Management Leader – lead with posture!
Jan Decker
Crisis Management Consulting
253 261 2704
Copyright© Jan Decker 2012
Rapid Strategic Leadership Training
Rapid Strategic Leadership
Rapid
Real Time; without delay, fast acting
Strategic
Advancing toward a goal or objective; decision alignment toward the end goal
Leadership
Directing and influencing an agenda; Power oriented role or position
When I work with an executive management team to develop skills, confidence and posturing in crisis management, we always start with a workshop on understanding the power base of the organization’s leadership. With public and government entities, the power base is primarily in the senior executive or head of the department or agency. It is less on personal style and skill and more on position. For a private company and many not-for-profit organizations, leadership can emerge from within the organization and the actual crisis manager often is not the highest ranking position.
Using the power base of the organization and managing from that base is a core leadership skill of Rapid Strategic Leadership©. To be a strong and effective leader in crisis management, the Crisis Manager influences, engages, and enlists the willing cooperation of the organization and the implementation of the crisis action plan. Strategic thinking is clear thinking and understanding of the situation, the impacts, the anticipated consequences and the immediate, short term, long term and recovery solution. Rapid means immediate, without delay and REAL TIME.
The basic skills of a good and effective Crisis Manager are developed through training and practice once the Crisis Management Plan and the structure and systems are all in place for urgent activation. At that point, the training is personal and the crisis manager must want to develop and leverage his or her personal style, vision, ability to think and reason quickly, and develop the personal capability to lead during a crisis.
We believe that this type of leadership can be developed for anyone who finds themselves in the position of Crisis Manager, either by an extension of their daily job or through the opportunity of being on the Crisis Management Team. We are developing a workshop for interested participants who want to gain these skills.
Let us know if you are interested in this workshop. We currently work one-on-one with individuals, but are willing to tailor this to a team, if requested.
Rapid Strategic Leadership© is a training program offered by Jan Decker, Crisis Management Consulting. Contact us at 253 261 2704 or jan.decker@comcast.net about this training.
Copyright Jan Decker 2012