Foundation of org behavior

1.3 Leader Follower Behaviors and Crisis Leadership Response

 Mary Wright

The most recent crisis experienced in my firm was two years ago when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down most of the United States and other countries worldwide. Our CEO went into crisis mode with routine communication in varying formats. We received emails, videos, webcasts, and Town Hall forums. The firm was completely transparent with its plan to emerge from the pandemic stronger than when we entered it. We faced a challenge for adaptability and were taught to embrace the chaos. The firm provided us several outlets for support for mental needs, and it established networks for parents suddenly facing home-schooling their children along with the requirements of their jobs. Our CEO was sure to impart that the firm would weather the crisis by staying focused on maintaining safety and work-life balance for their workforce. We were already well-positioned to weather the epidemic as we were already equipped most of our workforce to operate remotely. The most difficult challenge was staying connected virtually since we were no longer working out of our office locations together. The impact was highly positive. We broke even the first year of the pandemic when we were confident we would fall short of our financial goals. We even profited some. These profits were passed on to the workforce as bonus payments.

I believe in times of crisis; leadership faces the same basic physiological response of “fight or flight” that is hard-wired in each of us. A leader that shies away from the spotlight during hard times and won’t communicate or offer any transparency will not garner much confidence from their workforce or the community in which they operate. Leaders must confront the situation boldly, adapt to the challenges, and engage with their teams (Nichols et al., 2020). Conversely, a leader who confronts the crisis head-on and seeks advantages where we can grow despite the setback will be viewed as honest and upfront about developments along the way. Confrontation and adaptation will bolster the trust within the workforce, and the community and the organization will emerge from the crisis stronger than ever. Leaders should understand their behavioral drives and continue to re-familiarize themselves with these drives. They can sometimes backfire during an emergency if the situation is not suited for their style of response (Barks, n.d.).

References

Barks, A. (n.d.). The behavioral mistake leaders make in crisis. The Predictive Index. https://www.predictiveindex.com/blog/the-behavioral-mistake-leaders-make-in-crisis/

Nichols, C., Hayden, S., & Trendler, C. (2020, August 2). 4 Behaviors That Help Leaders Manage a Crisis. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/04/4-behaviors-that-help-leaders-manage-a-crisis

1.3 Leader Follower Behaviors and Crisis Leadership Response

Larry Upshaw posted

One example that comes to mind is and injury that took place during an active shooter drill at my organization. A staff member was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet and was very hurt. The principal at the time completely ignored the teachers feelings and injury. She went on with the drill expressing the level of importance of being ready and prepared for whatever may come working in schools in this day and time. As a leader, you should never dismiss an employee's feelings. It is a moral killer! 

All leaders should practice boosting the moral of the workers, showing them that you care and are human. Connected to them in personal manner. Having your moral low will not only ruin your flow but run good workers off. If you have no staff lead than you are not a good leader. 

Leaders should practice moral building throughout the year to show the staff that you not only care about the success of the company but the success of them as a person. Having high moral will allow you and your team to excel in ways you could not imagine. Take for example the moral that Former President trump had to deal with! It could not have been good. 

                                                                            References

https://study.com/academy/lesson/staff-morale-definition-importance.html