Crisis. The word alone evokes urgency, unpredictability, and disruption. Yet, behind every headline-grabbing disaster, behind every public meltdown or system breakdown, there lies a deeper truth: leadership is either what makes things better, or what makes them worse.
We live in an increasingly unstable world. Pandemics, cyberattacks, natural disasters, economic volatility, political unrest, the list goes on. And with each disruption comes a test. Not just a test of systems or institutions, but a test of people. A test of leadership.
In this first blog post in a series on crisis leadership, I want to lay the foundation for what this series is all about. Before we talk about how to lead in a crisis, we must first understand what a crisis really is, and why leadership matters so much when one strikes.
Defining a Crisis
Ask ten people to define a crisis, and you’ll get ten different answers. But there are common threads. At its core, a crisis is an event or situation that:
- Disrupts the normal functioning of a system, organization, or society
- Creates urgency that demands immediate decision-making and action
- Threatens human well-being, safety, trust, or survival
Crises are not just high-stakes situations. They are moments of instability where the future feels uncertain and the stakes feel deeply personal. And while crises come in all forms, natural, technological, financial, reputational, geopolitical—they all share one thing in common: they put people under pressure.
Crisis expert R.W. Perry noted that a situation is only a crisis if it negatively affects human life. That means a software outage, for example, only becomes a true crisis if it stops critical services, causes panic, or undermines public trust.
A crisis, then, isn’t defined by scale alone. It’s defined by impact and urgency.
Types of Crises
In my book The Crisis Leader, I distinguish between two main types:
- Sudden-onset crises: These emerge with little warning, such as earthquakes, terror attacks, data breaches.
- Protracted-onset crises: These build slowly over time, such as economic decline, climate change, refugee displacement.
While the onset differs, the disruption is the same. What’s important for leaders to recognize is that most protracted crises are actually preventable, but only if someone is paying attention. In many cases, a lack of leadership turns manageable issues into crises.
Consider the 2008 financial collapse in Iceland. The warning signs were there. Analysts and insiders raised red flags. But poor leadership led to inaction. When the system finally buckled, it did so with devastating speed.
That’s the lesson: Crises aren’t just about what happens. They’re about what didn’t happen when it should have.
Why Leadership Matters
When a crisis hits, people instinctively look for leadership. Not management. Leadership.
Leadership is about direction, vision, and reassurance in the face of fear and chaos. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about having the courage to act, the humility to listen, and the wisdom to make decisions in the fog of uncertainty.
Why is leadership so critical in a crisis?
- Speed and clarity matter. In crisis, delayed decisions can cost lives, money, or trust. Leadership provides timely direction.
- People are watching. Your tone, words, and actions set the emotional tone for everyone else.
- Structure collapses. Systems fail. Plans break down. It’s leaders who hold things together when the map no longer matches the terrain.
- Trust is everything. People won’t follow you unless they believe you care, you’re competent, and you’re honest.
Leadership is what transforms a group of individuals into a coordinated team. It is what enables communities to rebuild, organizations to recover, and people to move from despair to determination.
Crisis Leadership Is Different
Leading in crisis is not the same as leading in calm. In normal times, we optimize. In crisis, we improvise.
In normal times, people follow systems. In crisis, they follow people.
And often, the person they follow isn’t the one with the title, but the one who brings calm, clarity, and courage to the table.
True crisis leadership demands more than authority. It requires:
- Emotional intelligence to manage panic and fear
- Decisiveness under pressure
- Adaptability when plans fall apart
- Empathy to connect with the people most affected
Leadership in crisis is not about being perfect. It’s about being present, human, and willing to step forward when others hesitate.
Final Thoughts: The Call to Lead
You never know when a crisis will hit.
You don’t get to schedule it.
You don’t get to rehearse it.
But you do get to prepare.
This blog series is for those who want to lead when it matters most. Whether you’re a CEO, a frontline responder, a team leader, or a concerned citizen, this journey is for you.
I will explore how to lead through chaos, how to build trust, how to communicate under pressure, and how to become the kind of leader people look to when everything is falling apart.
If you want to be ready, not just for your sake, but for those who will need you when the moment comes, then I invite you to join me on this path.
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Be ready.
Lead when it matters most.
Your moment is coming.
By Gisli Olafsson, Author of The Crisis Leader
