Leadership 101: Crisis leadership

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
March 8, 2012

Training builds leaders. Experience develops them. Crisis refines them. And crisis is coming, let’s not kid ourselves. It always has, alwayswill. The leader enjoying the privilege of command today will have theburden of command forced upon him in the crisis tomorrow. There is noescaping it, nor should we as leaders want to escape it.

But we need reliable tools to deal with crisis.
 
First, we need professional knowledge and competency, information(intelligence), and the wisdom to apply both quickly while under extreme stress.

IGNORANCE IS NOT ENDEARING

In recent years, it has become increasingly socially acceptable not toknow something, or not to know how to do something. For the leader in acrisis situation that is totally unacceptable. We, as leaders in acrisis, have to know. We have to have the answer.

Despite what the champions of self-esteem-building over competitionwould have us believe, there is nothing cute, charming, or endearingabout ignorance of a topic. If we don’t know or don’t have the answer,we have to know how to find out what we don’t know. There is an answersomewhere; the age of electronic information has pretty much guaranteedthat. And if a leader is incapable of finding the answer expeditiously,he or she has no business leading a dog sled. Period.

Second, the leader also has to be decisive. He has to make decisions in a crisis, and the decisions often need to be made quickly with limitedinformation (or intelligence), though never haphazardly.

Third, and just as important as knowledge and competency, information,and decisiveness; the leader’s physical presence is required in acrisis.

PRESENCE IS VITAL

During the massive Confederate artillery barrage which precededPickett’s charge at Gettysburg, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Winfield ScottHancock – seated erect and defiant in the saddle – rode along his lineswithin clear sight of his men all of whom were hunkered down trying tobest protect themselves from the hellish shelling and steel themselvesfor the forthcoming infantry attack.

A subordinate officer witnessing this, pleaded with Hancock to dismount and take cover like everyone else.  

Hancock responded, There are times when a corps commander’s life does not count.

Nearly 150 years later, U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, aMedal of Honor recipient, echoed Hancock’s sentiments, telling me thatin a crisis the combat commander must be seen by his men.

The physical presence of the commander is important, particularly when it gets tough, said Livingston.

Beyond knowledge and competency, information, decisiveness, andpresence, the leader during crisis may find himself having to temperanxious or overzealous subordinate leaders. He will need to watch fordissent and quash it wherever it rears its head. He may have tostrengthen those weakened by the onset of crisis, and he will need toembolden the fearful, restore confidence in everyone, maintaindiscipline, smile, willingly serve, sacrifice, face the enemy (if that’s what the crisis is about) and put his shoulder to the wheel just likeeveryone else.

SHACKLETON’S WAY

British Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton – described by one of his men as the greatest leader that ever came on God’s earth, bar none – is best known, not for failing to be the first to reach the South Pole (thegoal he set, but never achieved); but for saving the lives of all 27 ofhis men who were stranded with him in the frigid Antarctic from1914-1916.

Shackleton’s expedition to the South Pole was doomed when his ship,Endurance, became stuck in the ice more than 1,200 miles from thenearest outpost. As temperatures plummeted and the ice hardened andshifted, Endurance’s hull was crushed, and the ship was ultimatelyconsumed by the icy sea.

Shackleton’s new goal was to bring every man home, alive. That he did.But it was not without a herculean effort on the part of Shackleton’smen – some of whom challenged their commander – and the uniqueleadership skills of Shackleton himself.

I say, unique because though Shackleton was wholly capable of – andoften compelled to make the hard decisions – he had an extraordinarydepth of compassion. A Viking with a mother’s heart, is how one mandescribed him, according to Shackleton’s Way – Leadership Lessons fromthe Great Antarctic Explorer.

SHACKLETON’S SIX

In an article, Leading in Trying Times: The Case of Ernest Shackleton (Psychology Today, Jan. 6, 2011), Dr. Christopher Peterson makes sixinteresting points about Shackleton’s leadership.

First, Shackleton had [and demonstrated] unshakeable optimism.

I would add to Peterson’s point that this optimism must also bebelievable. A true leader – leading intelligent men (and women) – mustalways find a way to provide substantive hope and a way forward. Hopeand a way equal believable optimism.  

Second, Shackleton shared hardships with his men.

This goes without saying. One does not lord over his charges,particularly in times of stress. For example, the leader eats whateverhis men eat, and he either eats with them or only after they’ve beenfed.

Bill George, writing for the Wall Street Journal, says, If there aresacrifices to be made, leaders should step up and make the greatestsacrifices themselves.

Absolutely.

Third, Shackleton established a loose hierarchy among his men.Interestingly, we find this system today being employed within thespecial-operations community especially at the small-unit level. Thiskind of loose hierarchy stimulates creativity, turns the team into amini think-tank during a crisis, an ideas-incubator that can innovate on the fly in much the same way the Apollo 13 astronauts did when theircraft was crippled enroute to the moon.  

Fourth, Shackleton was able to be both a friend and a leader of the members of his crew.

This is of particular interest to me as it reminds me of Marine Gen.John A. Lejeune’s sage words; The relation between officers andenlisted men should in no sense be that of superior and inferior northat of master and servant, but rather that of teacher and scholar. Infact, it should partake of the nature of the relation between father and son, to the extent that officers, especially commanding officers, areresponsible for the physical, mental, and moral welfare, as well as thediscipline and military training of the young men under their commandwho are serving the nation in the Marine Corps.

Fifth, Shackleton possessed ample social intelligence, understandingwhat made his crew members tick as individuals and tailoring hisinteractions accordingly.

This is achieved with empathy, selflessness, and a real sense of putting oneself in another’s shoes.

Six, Shackleton possessed incredible technical skills honed overdecades of exploration which he was able to use in leading his crew andhelping them to survive. He knew what he was doing, and his men knewthis as well.
 
This takes us back to professional knowledge and competency.

COMPOSURE AND CONFIDENCE

The only other salient point – and one in which I’ve reserved foremphatic last – is that the leader must always be composed. He mustremain calm in times of stress. For those who will depend on him, hisface must always be the bright, loving, always encouraging,ever-confident face of someone who is perhaps a bit stronger than theyare, but every bit as human.  

Stay with us. There’s so much more, including a great deal more onleadership during crisis. Previous Leadership 101 pieces are available here. If you have questions or suggestions, I’m at [email protected].

– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a former U.S. Marine rifle-squad leader andcounterterrorism instructor who writes about military/defense issues and has covered war in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He directs theU.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team. He is a senior field-grade officerin the Joint Services Det. (S.C. Military Dept.). He is the author ofsix books, a New York Times bestselling editor, and his articles appearin a variety of publications. Smith’s website is uswriter.com.