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Anneke Zwart Student (University), Netherlands
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Common Errors Leaders Make during Crises
Hirsch (2014) did research on crisis management and examined the most common errors top managers make in times of crisis. He found an interesting pattern of problematic behaviors among senior leaders in crises:
1. Passivity: In the early stages of crises, leaders are very inactive. They hope and believe that the crisis will pass without serious consequences for their organization. Leaders should have a more open and objective view and be aware of the possible negative consequences of the crisis. Besides, they should actively respond to those consequences rather than just hoping that the crisis will fade away.
2. Narrow Vision: This refers to the inability of leaders to look beyond the existing dangers and risks to their organization. It results from omitting to put themselves in the role of the victims/outsiders that are involved in the crisis. A more open view is needed so as to understand and effectively react to their followers’ and other victims.
3. False Hope: Leaders often keep believing that the most positive outcomes will prevail, even if evidence shows the opposite. Rather than dealing with worst-case scenarios, these leaders keep changing the possible ramifications that will occur. Although it is understandable why leaders rather do not deal with worst-case scenarios, leaders need to plan for them.
4. Announcing the End of the Crisis: Leaders often have a strong desire to announce that the crisis has ended, so as to reassure their employees. This will only work out positively if the end of the crisis indeed occured. If not, the credibility of leaders is damaged. A more effective approach is to constantly announce and adapt to changing information so that credibility will be maintained.
5. Searching for a Scapegoat: A common reaction of leaders in crisis time is searching for a victim in order to protect themselves. However, blaming others only leads to a passive attitude towards the possible consequences of the crisis. Leaders should not focus on blaming others, but rather on searching for effective ways to master the crisis.
Source: Hirsch, P.B. (2014) “Taming the Amygdale: New Tools for Crisis Management” Journal of Business Strategy Vol.35 No. 1 pp. 52-55
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Adrian Horodniceanu CEO, Israel
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Common Errors Leaders Make During Crises
The above errors can have objective reasons (at le...
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Miguel Sacramento Business Consultant, Brazil
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Another Common Error During Crises: Not Learning from it
Another usual error besides the 5 already mentione...
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Raj Mohan Management Consultant, India
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On Crisis Management Error #1: Being Too Passive
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Seelig, Netherlands
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Looks Like Standard Reactions on a Traumatic Experience
The passivity, denial, false hope and anger seem l...
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Niraj Kumbhat Manager, India
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Many in Senior Positions are not Capable to Handle a Crisis
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Stephen van der Merwe Student (MBA), South Africa
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Leadership EQ - Giving Emotional Stability in Times of Stress
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Manager HR Consultant, United States
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Leadership Behavior to Avoid in the Event of a Crisis
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JOSEPH SOLA ONIFADE Manager, Nigeria
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Common Leadership Errors during Crises
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Goodsir Professor, New Zealand
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Common Crisis Reactions by Leaders and Human Emotional Reactions
@Seelig: Your comparison of crisis responses to ba...
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Sunday ELKANA (koachkonsult) Manager, Nigeria
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Common Errors Leaders Make During Crises
Searching for a scapegoat seems to be the order of...
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Tom Boren Business Consultant
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kvssiyer Consultant, India
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C.L. Kappagomtula Professor, Malaysia
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The Article is on a Hypothetical 'Myth' Rather than Reality
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Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar India
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Andrew Blaine Business Consultant, South Africa
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Leadership and Management
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Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
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@Andrew Blaine: thanks for bringing this up. We ar...
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Borje Vickberg, Sweden
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Common Errors Leaders Make During Crisis
Many wise comments on JP Hirsch´s research. I woul...
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Augustine Ngmentomo Beakana Student (MBA), Ghana
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Tran le Phuong Teacher, Mongolia
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On Common Errors of Leader in Crises #5: Mistrust
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Pros Yiga Uganda
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On #12. Common Error of Leaders in Crises: Not Opening up and Involving Others
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I also beli...
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Alhaji Jabbi Student (MBA), Gambia
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Leader Errors before a Crisis Occurs: Not being Sensitive to Warning Signals
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Seelig, Netherlands
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Culture Differences also Play a Role in How Crises should be Dealt with
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Friday O. Ngbodi Student (MBA), Nigeria
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Not all Kind of Leaders Make these Common Errors
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Fernando Ochoa Manager, Mexico
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Frequent Mistakes by Leaders during a Crisis
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Zahid asghar Consultant
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Another Common Error of Leaders During a Crisis
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Manager HR Consultant, United States
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ANUJ KUMAR SHRIVASTAVA Manager, India
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Leaders Need to Be Open and Clear
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Ali Wagfi Professor
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More Common Errors Leaders Make During Crises
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Ayele Abdata Manager, Ethiopia
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On #1: Indecision is Worse Than Bad Decision During Crises
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kvssiyer Consultant, India
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