Maintaining Core Leadership Skills in Times of Crisis

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Maintaining Core Leadership Skills in Times of
Crisis

• Presenter Loni Davis, M.A.
• Davis Associates
• Organizational Consulting Services

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The Best of Times The Worst of Times

• Public Health gets on the radar screen
• Professional values conflict This isnt what I
  signed up for! Anxiety stress
• Scrutiny high expectations can develop stronger
  organizations
• Leadership skill trumps public health
  professional skills training

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Core Leadership Framework
Direction
Capability
Commitment

• Focuses on three dimensions of success in leading
  others in times of crisis
• Providing Clear Direction
• Developing Commitment To Move Forward
• Assessing and Ensuring Capability To Take
  Effective Action

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Systems Thinking..the mindset for crisis
leadership

• First Step Get Up On The Balcony

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Exercise

• Instructions
• You will each be given a piece of data.
• You will be asked to spend the next 20 minutes or
  so figuring out what to do.

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Systems Thinking Strategies that Increase Your
Leadership Effectiveness

• A leader who uses systems thinking

Sees the whole picture
Considers these questions
From my location in the organization, what do I
understand to be the whole picture? Which parts
(sub-systems) am I not seeing, not considering?
What effect is this having on my ability to lead
and manage in this crisis situation?
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Systems Thinking Strategies that Increase Your
Leadership Effectiveness

• A leader who uses systems thinking

Understands how sub-systems are interconnected
and interdependent, and the potential
vulnerabilities this poses in a crisis situation.
Considers these questions
How well does my program or department work with
other key programs, and community agencies? How
might I increase the goodness of fit we share?
How can I help others understand more about what
we do and how we fit into the big picture?
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Systems Thinking Strategies that Increase Your
Leadership Effectiveness
A leader who uses systems thinking
Looks beyond the field of action to focus on
underlying relationships, processes and
structures that will derail effective crisis
leadership
Considers these questions
How might work relationships in my department and
interactions with other staff be causing
difficulties, if not repeated problems? Do I
have structures and processes in place that allow
me to do my best work as a leader and manager,
such as are meetings organized and managed well?
Is vital information communicated effectively? Is
there permission to exchange information and
share resources freely? Are those affected by
decisions involved in the determining process?
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Systems Thinking Strategies that Increase Your
Leadership Effectiveness
A leader who uses systems thinking
Pays attention and gives voice to the
organizations long-term vision
Considers these questions
What is our organizations long-term vision that
describes what we are about and where we are
going in the event of a public crisis or
emergency situation? What aspects of that vision
are not clear to me or others? How can I promote
this vision so that others understand it and join
me in championing it?
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Conveying The Big Picture Effective Crisis
Leaderships sets others up for success in
addressing the situation by identifying the Big
Picture and providing a framework for movement
forward

• Context
• Stakeholders

Pathway To Manage Crisis or Emergency (The
Process)
Current Situation
Desired Future State
Where we are
Where we want to go
How we get there
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Developing The Big Picture

• The emergency / crisis situation that calls for
  attention (especially that iteration of it that
  we are addressing now, details and implications)
• The desired outcome of addressing the situation
• The circumstances surrounding the situation and
  factors impacting how we can address it

• Where we are now
• Where we want to be
• Context

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Developing The Big Picture

• The individuals or groups that must be taken into
  account in addressing the situation
• The actual process for addressing the crisis and
  helping all stakeholders get from current reality
  to the desired future state

• Stakeholders
• Pathway To Action

Adapted from Interaction Associates, Facilitating
Change, 2000
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Stakeholder Analysis

• Why Its Important
• All the subsystems in the organization and
  community are interconnected and interdependent.
  Stakeholder analysis reminds us to consider the
  key issues and concerns of different individuals
  and groups at the outset and sets a foundation
  for tapping into appropriate expertise and
  building agreement for moving forward.

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Tool Stakeholder Analysis Matrix
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Exercise Describing the Big Picture

• Define
• The crisis or emergency situation requiring
  attention (where exactly are we now in this
  situation?)
• What is the desired future state (scoping issue)
• Explore The Context In Which This Issue Is Being
  Tackled
• What are the key factors surrounding this issue?
• How will this context impact how we deal with
  this crisis?
• Identify Key Stakeholders
• Who are the key stakeholders -individuals or
  groups that we need to consider in moving forward
  to address this situation
• Describe the overall pathway forward in
  addressing the situation

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Application of Big Picture

• Scenario

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How Are You Addressing the Leaders Dilemma?
Im accountable for the results. But how do I
increase involvement without losing control? (or
taking too much time, or involving my staff at
the wrong time or in the wrong way or too little
or too much..)
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Resolving The Leaders Dilemma

• The key to increasing involvement without losing
  control is to seek the maximum involvement
  appropriate to the situation. Involvement begins
  with defining which decisions need to be made,
  and then who should participate, and finally, to
  what degree or level should they participate.

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Levels of Involvement in the Decision-Making
Process
Delegate with Constraints
Level of Ownership
Consensus
Gather Input from the Stakeholder Group and Decide
Gather Input from Individuals and Decide
Level of Involvement
Decide and Announce
Adapted from Interaction Associates, LLC 2000
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Factors To Consider

• Stakeholder Buy-In
• Time Available
• Importance of Decision
• Information /Expertise Needed
• Capability
• Building Teamwork

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• Review Discussion