In today’s volatile business environment, traditional leadership approaches fall woefully short. As Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten eloquently explained in her HBR Future of Business Conference masterclass, “We spend most of our time, most of our training, most of our development, learning how to lead when business is as usual. But if there’s one thing we can all agree upon from the last three to five years, we’re in a state now where there’s no more business as usual.”
Beyond the Traditional Three P’s
For decades, business education has focused on the classic three P’s: profit, people, and planet. Yet Wooten challenges us to consider a fourth dimension—prepared leadership—which she defines as “the ability to deliver in terms of people, planet, and profits when confronting uncertainty.”
Having studied hundreds of crises over 25 years, from natural disasters to corporate scandals, Wooten’s research reveals five essential practices that distinguish effective crisis leaders.
- Sense-making and Perspective Taking
Prepared leaders continuously scan their environment for warning signs, understanding implications for all stakeholders. This involves three temporal perspectives:
- Hindsight: Learning from historical events
- Insight: Interpreting current conditions
- Foresight: Scenario planning for potential futures
The Maui wildfires offer a sobering example—a 2020 report clearly identified the risk, yet proper sense-making was missing.
- Decision-making Under Pressure
Unlike routine problem-solving, crisis decisions require structure and speed while avoiding cognitive biases. Wooten recommends a formal approach:
- Define the problem clearly
- Map stakeholder implications
- Establish desired outcomes
- Gather diverse information sources
- Create parallel plans (always have a Plan B)
- Evaluate options through multiple frames: systems thinking, power dynamics, human resources, and cultural implications
- Energising Your Team for Agility
Crisis leadership is “not a solo sport,” as Wooten emphasised. The NBA’s creation of a “bubble” during the pandemic exemplifies this practice—bringing together diverse experts from healthcare providers to coaches to conceptualise and execute a complex solution.
Wooten uses the jazz ensemble metaphor to illustrate effective crisis teams: “Leadership is rotating as the music dictates.” Each team member must lead when their expertise is needed, while listening and taking cues from others.
- Building Mega Communities
When facing unprecedented challenges, single organisations rarely possess all the necessary resources. The most successful crisis responses involve “mega communities”—partnerships across government, corporate, and non-profit sectors.
The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates this principle perfectly: government funding, corporate pharmaceutical expertise, and non-profit distribution channels working in concert.
- Managing for Resilience
True resilience isn’t merely bouncing back—it’s experiencing a “growth trajectory” from crucible moments. Wooten advises leaders to:
- Take deep breaths and embrace change
- Identify necessary learning opportunities
- Check alignment with values and goals
- Broaden networks and knowledge bases
- Monitor well-being for self and team
For organisations committed to thriving amidst uncertainty, these five practices aren’t optional—they’re essential components of modern leadership. As Wooten concludes, prepared leadership means creating teams and structures ready to “weather the storm and drive positive change in the aftermath.”
In an era where crisis is the new normal, perhaps it’s time we reconceptualise leadership education and development to prioritise these capabilities from day one.
To find out more about leadership strategies, find out our 90% Government-funded programme, Help to Grow Management at Kingston Business School.
https://kingstonuniversitybusinesstraining.com/
