By Susan Battley

Crisis situations, whether they're man-made or natural disasters, are the ultimate leadership challenge. Intense public scrutiny and 24/7 media coverage mean that leaders' actions are both high-stakes and high-visibility. "Every little thing counts in a crisis" Jawaharlal Nehru said.

When executives and managers are under pressure, they - like all people - are at greater risk of behaving in ways that are defensive and maladaptive.

Five Deadly Leadership Behaviors

1. Denial: outright rejection of unacceptable facts or feelings. ("There is no problem.")

2. Minimization: lessoning the importance of a fact or situation ("It doesn't matter.")

3. Rationalization: justifying an action or stand ("Everybody's doing it.")

4. Black-white thinking: all-or-nothing approach ("We're right, they're wrong.")

5. Projection: redirecting an unacceptable attribute to someone else ("We're not the problem, they are.")

These behaviors are dangerous for three reasons:

First, they can be triggered unconsciously as a kind of automatic "fight or flight" reaction.

Second, they produce exactly the opposite of the desired effect, which is restoring trust. Instead, the public sees these behaviors as self-serving, which reinforces skepticism and further erodes leader credibility.

Third, they distort or limit how leaders interprete critical information. This in turn can compromise their ability to take accurate corrective action.

Here's what needs to be done.

Six Winning Crisis Management Strategies

1. Recalibrate mentally. Key audiences such as constituents, investors, customers, and employees are looking for true leadership, not public relations-speak, lawyering or passing the buck.

2. Accept that perception is reality. In other words, if you're not visible, people will assume - right or wrong - that you're not on the job.

3. Stand and deliver. Take bold corrective action that fully addresses key issues and concerns. Over-correct, if necessary. Acknowledge unintended errors.

4. Lead by example. What gets rewarded or penalized in fact, not in word, is what people notice. Tough action trumps tough talk every time.

5. Practice consistency, communication, fairness, and patience. People have long memories for when they've been treated badly. Restoring trust takes significant amounts of time.

6. Remove those associated with the problem from implementing the solution. Exemplary standards and practices must take precedence over old loyalties and relationships.

Copyright © Susan Battley, PsyD, PhD. All rights reserved.