Crisis Leadership

As an iterative phenomenon involving factors such as leaders, followers, culture, and context, leadership is already quite complex. Crises take that complexity to another level.

ILA’s resource collections gather resources from across our site that have been tagged as pertaining to a particular topic. Some are public access while others are available to members only.

Road Sign with the words Crisis and Opportunity pointing in opposite directions

Below are a selection of recent resources, by category. You can view all Crisis Leadership resources here.

Podcasts

Phronesis: Practical Wisdom for Leadership Podcast. Episode 164: Dr. Suze Wilson & Dr. Brad Jackson - Appreciative Reflections on the Leadership of Jacinda Ardern. Listen Now. The Official Podcast of the International Leadership Association

Appreciative Reflections on the Leadership of Jacinda Ardern

Professors Suze Wilson & Brad Jackson of New Zealand Aotearoa reflect on PM Jacinda Ardern's leadership of their country and her recent resignation.

No Shared Notion of Reality

Dr. Suze Wilson discusses the intersections of disinformation, trust, and leadership. People are not prepared to tolerate any discomfort or sacrifices needed to address big challenges like climate...

International Leadership During Turbulent Times

ILA President & CEO Cynthia Cherrey discusses leading during a pandemic and future considerations for international leadership education.

Disruption in America’s Favorite Pastime: MLB CEO Shares Insights

Mark Shapiro, President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, shares his approach to effective leadership and discuss how this approach positioned the Toronto Blue Jays to navigate...

Thriving During Crisis: A Successful Middle Eastern Businesswoman

Aline Kamakian shares how she encountered the difficult decisions that many faced in the hospitality industry due to the pandemic –then dealing with the destruction of one of...

An Eye Towards Innovation, Learning, & Transformation

Dr. Ralph Gigliotti is Director of Leadership Development and Research at the Center for Organizational Leadership at Rutgers. He serves as a lecturer in the Department of Communication and Ph.D....

What Academic Leaders Can Do to Navigate Crisis

In this episode, Dr. Ralph Gigliotti explains the history of crisis in higher education, what has changed since the end of the 2019-2020 school year, and what colleges...

Intentional Leadership Programming During Uncertain Times

Deputy Director Sadhana Hall and Program Officer Robin Frye detail how they continued the myriad leadership programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crisis Leadership Part II

Podcast with ILA President Cynthia Cherrey for the NASPA Student Leadership Programs knowledge community on leading through crisis.

Blogs

False Positives: A Pandemic of Prozac Leadership

Being positive can facilitate transformational leadership but taken to extremes it can become insincere and manipulative. Excessive positivity constitutes a significant barrier to reflection and learning. By silencing...

Where Is Boris Johnson? When and Why It Matters That Leaders Show Up in a Crisis

An enduring issue for leadership is the emotional effect of leaders' presence and absence on those who look to them for direction, guidance, and reassurance. If leaders fail...

“Building Forward Better” – Why Women’s Leadership Matters

As we deal with the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on women, minorities and the poor, much has been written about the effectiveness...

Punctuating Leadership Education and Development Into Before and After

Is this the beginning of the end of leadership education and development as we know it? If so, perhaps it is also an opportunity to forge a new...

Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Change Us Forever?

We long to return to our old lives. But, at the end of this crisis, it would be a shame to simply go back to normal. If leaders...

A Model for Pandemic Leadership: Lessons Drawn From New Zealand’s Response to COVID-19

What are the lessons we can learn from New Zealand's remarkable success in responding to COVID-19? This cogent analysis points to their clarity of purpose in minimizing harm...

The Coronavirus Crisis and Leadership in Business

Fifty years ago, Milton Friedman asserted that the social responsibility of business was only to increase its profits, within the law. This mantra, with its focus on the...

Newsletter Articles

Protective Mask on Street Sign that Says Broadway

The Year Was 2020

In this Grassroots Leadership & the Arts for Social Change Corner, Rad Pereira and Jan Cohen-Cruz discuss socially engaged performance in the context of the pandemic, Black Lives...

Crisis Leadership Education and Exploration

In this PAUSE for Pedagogy column, Ralph Gigliotti discusses how to teach crisis leadership to both undergraduates and to administrators in higher education.

Videos

A Conversation With Meg Wheatley- Sane Leadership on Behalf of the Human Spirit

Sane Leadership on Behalf of the Human Spirit – A Conversation With Meg Wheatley

ILA Lifetime Achievement Awardee Meg Wheatley discusses her work of the past seven years training leaders and activists to be Warriors for the Human Spirit.

Everyone Is Normal Until You Know Them Better – A Conversation With Manfred Kets de Vries

Touching on contemporary global issues and drawing on his recent books Leading Wisely and Leadership Unhinged, Manfred Kets de Vries shares his thinking on leadership in this conversation...

Webinars

Crisis Leadership in Higher Education

With Ralph Gigliotti and Daniel Jenkins (Moderator)

View All Crisis Leadership Resources