MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Projecting Leadership and Humanity in Crisis

Effective leadership can make crises manageable instead of overwhelming. Leading through crisis typically involves adopting a systematic approach to problem-solving: Stages of crisis include issue detection, response, recovery, and learning. Key considerations that can reduce the panic people feel when the world seems to be spiraling often include enacting a more directive style of leadership to clarify priorities, instituting a frequent cadence of communication, and formulating team decision-making structures to help people digest uncertainty and focus their attention on pressing tasks.

At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the need to project not only leadership but humanity. By humanity, I mean attentiveness and awareness of others.

About the Author

Morela Hernandez is the Donald and Lauren Morel Emerging Scholar in Business Administration and an associate professor at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (@dardenmba). Links to Hernandez’s work are online at morelahernandez.com.

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