Crisis Leadership

The true test of a leader is crisis.

How a leader responds to a crisis can illustrate their ability to lead, make decisions, and act in a manner that benefits others or can show us that they never should have been a leader in the first place.

Leadership is a position that should be held by those who can truly focus on the best interest of others. A leader should always want the best for those around them and should seek out ways to assist others.

There are two perfect examples to illustrate selfless leadership and selfish leadership, Captain Sullenberger and Captain Schettino.

Captain Sullenberger was the pilot of the US Airways Flight 1549 that landed safely on the Hudson after the plane’s engines failed as a result of ingesting birds. Captain Sullenberger and his co-pilot assessed the situation and responded. They landed the plane on the Hudson safely and it did not end there. As the plane began to submerge Captain Sullenberger walked the entire plan insuring that everyone had indeed been evacuated. It was only after he was sure that everyone was safe that the pilot then exited the sinking plane.

The complete opposite of Captain Sullenberger is Captain Schettino. Captain Schettino is the disgraced captain of the Costa Concordia that sank off the cost of Italy after running aground into the jagged rocks. The captain is being investigated for manslaughter and abandoning ship. This leader, when faced with crisis, did not respond in a manner that would be expected from a person in his leadership position. Captain Schettino was said to have left the ship during the crisis and chaos ensued.

What is the difference between these two leaders?

Selfless leadership and selfish leadership.

While these are two very dramatic and life threatening examples they serve as the foundation of leadership selection. When you are selecting leaders for your organization or you are selecting a leader to follow, you need to understand their true leadership philosophy. Are they a selfish leader? Will they serve their followers best interest? Will they use their followers and then abandon them just when they are needed the most?

A true leader is a selfless leader. They look for ways to serve others. A selfless leader is one that will work to develop others and finds satisfaction in knowing that they have made a positive impact on the lives of others.