Adapting During Crises PDF Download

Leadership during a challenging time or crisis requires more than just one leader making decisions; it requires inclusive yet focused leadership that can lead others to find solutions that may exist. But how can leadership prepare for this leadership challenge? And, when a challenge occurs, how does leadership respond to find the best solutions? This skill will provide a framework for leaders to best prepare for and respond to a challenging time or crisis and suggest ways to create leadership solutions through an inclusive, adaptive leadership process. In our ever-evolving world today, the amount and speed of information create greater leadership challenges. These challenges are best met with a group effort--leaders cannot always find the needed solution through their own experiences and abilities. The adaptive leadership process focuses on getting others involved to find solutions to challenges and problems. This process of getting others involved creates a sense of ownership of the challenge and, as the Chinese philosopher Lau Tzu stated, "A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." The sense of doing it themselves is at the heart of the adaptive leadership process and is critical for finding solutions that do not exist, especially during challenging times or when a crisis occurs. The leadership process during difficult times or crises is very similar to that during normal times: getting others to do what you want them to do and having them want to do it. General and President Dwight Eisenhower stated, "Now I think, speaking roughly, by leadership we mean the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it, not because your position of power can compel him to do it, or your position of authority" (Remarks at the Annual Conference of the Society for Personnel Administration, 5/12/54). The key is to know who you are leading and understand what creates that feeling inside others, the desire to do what you want them to do (intrinsic motivation), especially during a challenging time or crisis. This skill will use two examples of leadership during a challenging/crisis time; one to illustrate leadership in a large organization and context and a second on a smaller scale. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11), the United States Army has been engaged in a Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) that has brought about significant changes in the United States Army during very challenging times. These changes have evolved as the United States Army has faced challenges from enemies that are significantly different from previous threats to United States national security. Ultimately, the United States military has had to modify its structure, doctrine, training, and equipment--all while fighting an ever-evolving enemy located both within its borders and throughout various global geographic locations (Kretchik, 2011). The US Army's leadership philosophy has also changed during the GWOT. The hierarchal leadership philosophy before 9/11 was not possible when fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan due to the number of isolated outposts needed throughout the region. Young soldiers were also responsible for maintaining order over large groups of civilians, often groups of several thousand, who had a different culture to those in the United States. These challenges required United States Army leaders to engage in the adaptive leadership process to innovate and adapt quickly while fighting, despite not knowing the correct solutions. On a smaller scale, many small businesses had to adapt to an entirely new environment due to the COVID pandemic. Management operations, much greater reliance on technology, delivery techniques, and many other aspects had to change rapidly for many small businesses to survive. Leadership also had to adapt as in-person, personal contact was not possible, and the use of other technologies created a form of virtual leadership. This module will follow Anya, a first-generation Russian immigrant, who owned a restaurant in a mid-western city that had to significantly change the way she operated her restaurant to keep the business alive. This skill will begin with understanding what and how to lead during a challenging time or crisis. We will then go on to explore how to find solutions that do not presently exist using Heifetz and Laurie's adaptive leadership model and Kotter's leading change model. Last, the module will suggest ways to create or increase the intrinsic motivation within those you lead.