Effective Crisis Communication: Moving From Crisis to Opportunity by Robert R. Ulmer & Timothy L. Sellnow & Matthew W. Seeger

Author:Robert R. Ulmer & Timothy L. Sellnow & Matthew W. Seeger [Ulmer, Robert R.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2017-12-11T05:00:00+00:00

The Importance of Effective Leadership

Most of us place a great deal of faith in our leaders. Whether they are business leaders, political leaders, or leaders of religious or social groups, leaders are important representatives of their groups, organizations, and communities. We look to our leaders for direction, inspiration, motivation, resources, support, and comfort. Leaders establish a clear vision, communicate that vision with others, collect and distribute information and knowledge, and coordinate the efforts of others. Leaders serve as cheerleaders and motivators. They represent their organization. They select, train, coach, and mentor employees. Leaders reflect and strengthen the organizational culture and serve as models. Leaders give us clues about how to behave, about what is right, and about what things mean. They promote ethical conduct and serve as moral guides. Sometimes, we expect our leaders to be almost superhuman in their abilities to solve problems and create positive outcomes.

Many definitions of leadership exist, and these definitions have changed over time as society has changed. Communication researcher Peter Northouse (2012) identified four characteristics that most definitions of leadership share. First, it is a process, suggesting it is ongoing and changing. While most of us think of a leader as a person, leadership is really a set of behaviors that is most often associated with a specific person. Leadership needs change based on the conditions. A crisis is a condition that requires specific leadership behaviors. Second, leadership involves influencing follower behaviors and perceptions. Motivation and direction are some of the most important leadership activities. Leadership also occurs in groups, organizations, or community contexts. These different levels of leadership can be very important to getting things done. Finally, leadership is directed toward goals and achieving specific outcomes that are seen as important. We define leadership as a communication and influence process directed toward followers who are members of a group, organization, or community, to assist in achieving some goal or outcome.

Leaders are always important to the success of organizations. During a crisis, they take on even more importance. We think of leadership as an attractor helping reduce the turmoil of the crisis and reasserting order and stability. This happens, in part, by being visible to employees, members of the community, and the media. Leaders may oversee responses and help others cope with what is happening. One critical function for a leader during a crisis is to explain what is happening, create understanding, and show others how to respond and move forward. During a crisis, the leader may become an emergency manager coordinating response efforts, providing comfort and reassurance, disseminating information, speaking to the media, and providing a vision for response, recovery, and renewal. The goals in the case of a crisis are to contain and limit harm, assist those who have been harmed, move beyond the crisis in an appropriate manner, and learn and grow from the experience. Learning and growing is especially important to finding the crisis opportunities. We describe 10 lessons of effective leadership during a crisis.

Lesson 1

Effective leadership is critical to a crisis response.

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