Leadership in Crisis

Part 3: Connection

As I began to compose this final “Leadership in Crisis” series post, I considered “care” to be my last “C” thought on leading well during crisis. After some reflection, I thought it better to illustrate connection and it’s importance in crisis.

Humans crave connection. Whether your teams are teleworking for the first time or are globally dispersed, the additional stressors of crisis require that leaders maintain and focus on connections.

Connection requires engagement. Regardless of the size of your organization connections must be made with your people. Regular email updates. Virtual town halls. You cannot connect without engaging.

Of course, in some positions of leadership it is impossible to connect at the level some people might desire or need. In those situations, reliance on management structure is key. In doing so, you must reinforce your values with those critical ambassadors of organizational vision, mission, and philosophy. Leveraging connections already built with managers and team leaders is crucial to extending that web of connective tissue to others.

While doing so, do not forget to maintain close connections. It’s easy to allow the crisis or the focus on continuing to meet business goals to dominate your capacity. Make time to connect with your peers, friends, and loved ones.

Genuine interest is powerful. An executive can never stop focus on the core business, mission, or bottom line. However, meetings and messages should be infused with care for how and not what your people are doing.

This is the time to draw upon your emotional intelligence. Before you dive in to your next meeting agenda ask how your team is doing. Better yet, put it on the agenda! Just remember to be genuine. It is painfully obvious when leaders are checking a box or being polite rather than taking genuine interest in their team members.

Flexibility strengthens connections. Crisis demands the ability to flex and adapt. This extends to our people. We can continue to hold people accountable as we did before crisis hit or we can understand the other priorities, demands, and anxieties on our people.

The crisis situation demands flexibility that may require modifying work, adjusting deadlines, shifting workload, or allowing non-standard work schedules. Leaders who are too rigid risk alienating or even losing their team members when the crisis inevitably ends. Flexible leaders will reap the benefits of a more productive workforce and deepen connections that have effects long after the crisis ends.


There are many aspects to great crisis leadership. Emotional intelligence is a key quality to draw upon throughout crisis no matter how you choose to lead.

Remember the three “C’s” in crisis.

  • Regular, authentic, and clear communication
  • Consistency in message and actions
  • Building, maintaining, and fostering connections throughout the organization

Weave these into your leadership style or draw upon them more heavily during challenging times. In this crisis or the next you will have led people in a powerful way.