ABSTRACT
For centuries, academics and experts have been saying, "Nothing tests a leader like a crisis and nothing defines an organization like a senior leader in a crisis". During a crisis, all aspects of a leaders' leadership knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics are under the microscope and subject to intense scrutiny and judgment, often influencing an organization's viability and good standing after such an event. This chapter on crisis leadership is dedicated to explore the first thoughts and immediate actions of the crisis leader. It aims to get us mentally out of the corner office, away from the boardroom, or ones daily Wall Street Journal article and into a new, perhaps unfamiliar space. Successful crisis management is important; however, it is narrow in its scope and tends to focus on the actions necessary during the crisis only and not the actions of the leaders at the center of the crisis itself.
