6 steps for effective crisis leadership

Leadership qualities extend to everyone within an organization.

Maurice Smith

Just as crises come in all shapes and sizes, there is a leader within everyone.

“Leadership doesn’t just reside with the CEO,” says Maurice Smith president of Local Government Federal Credit Union and Civic Federal Credit Union, both in Raleigh, N.C. “We want to be more resilient than that. We want leadership at different levels so when a challenge arises, we have more people ready to meet that challenge.”

During the 2020 CUNA HR & Organizational Development Council Virtual Conference Collection, Smith outlined six steps leaders should take to be prepared to meet the next crisis head-on:

1. Tap into personal testimony. Pay attention to how others react to a crisis. You’ll see examples of people who successfully navigate a crisis along with those who react badly, and you’ll gain insights on how you can react productively and not create additional challenges, Smith says.

“You can’t ignore who you are as an individual and what you learned outside the walls of the credit union,” Smith says. “Tap into that testimony. It will be useful in a crisis.”

 

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