ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the adaptive approaches leaders use to carry out essential leadership responsibilities while working through their personal crises. We discuss how leaders use a combination of adaptive behaviors such as changing work arrangements and developing a plan to handle the crisis along with essential leadership practices that help them to accomplish work and maintain open communication. We highlight the finding of a potential “relationship growth benefit” associated with disclosure of a personal crisis at work. Using data from our research and information from the literature, we examine the role of workplace friendships as social support for leaders in crisis. Finally, we provide advice from leaders in our survey to current and aspiring leaders about disclosing personal crises at work and handling leadership responsibilities in the organization. We also compare our participants’ advice with the actions they found effective in the workplace.
