How to Become a Better Leader Through a Crisis

Successful crisis leadership requires both emotional intelligence and a willingness to place yourself in service both to your team and the organization, in addition to agile decision-making and quick thinking.

A crisis isn’t just an opportunity to prove your mettle, though. Challenging circumstances can help you actively improve your leadership skills. If you’re uncertain about your leadership capabilities, or simply want to become a better leader for your company, consider the following tips to think more proactively about what that means, build on existing strengths and help correct any leadership shortcomings.

1. Know what being a great leader means

What specific qualities and traits do strong leaders demonstrate in times of crisis? To put another way, how do you want your team members and employees to describe your leadership style once the crisis has passed?

One key trait to shoot for is “reassuring.” Most people prefer leaders to project strong, calm confidence during rocky periods. They want to have faith in your assessments, and they want that assessment to be hopeful.

Yet too much optimism isn’t necessarily a good thing in a leader during a crisis, either. Positivity must be tempered with reality. If your workers feel like your…