Individual Deliverable #2 - Crisis Leadership Report

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Jan 9, 2024

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Individual Deliverable #2: Crisis Leadership Report 12/5/2023 xxx BMGT 365 7380 Organizational Leadership Dr. Irwin, Professor

To: Alexandra Marvel, President and CEO of Life Science Nutraceuticals, Inc. From: xxx Date: December 5, 2023 Subject: Crisis Leadership Report Introduction An unanticipated crisis can easily overwhelm contingency mitigation techniques and risk management programs, such as business continuity, disaster recovery, health and safety plans or emergency response. (Deloitte, 2023-a, para. 3). It is important for leaders to adapt strong moral and ethical behaviors to ensure LSN effectively overcomes the recent echinacea crisis. I. Identify and discuss the primary leadership style of Michael Brown in his handling of this crisis. During the echinacea crisis, Michael Brown displayed an autocratic leadership style. Autocratic leadership a leadership style that involves absolute control over a group and is characterized by an individual’s authoritarian control with little input from team members (Malos, n.d., “4. Situational Theories,” para. 1.). Brown displayed autocratic leadership through his sole decision to terminate Henrietta Higgins without consulting LSN executives. While this leadership style may prove beneficial in some situations, the echinacea crisis is one situation where it can be problematic. II. Discuss an alternative leadership style that could have been used by Michael Brown that could have been better suited than the one he used. During the echinacea crisis, Michael Brown could have acted using a democratic leadership style. Democratic leadership style has been described as the most effective leadership style in which allows members of the group to take a more participative role in the decision-making process, encouraging team members to share their ideas and opinions (Malos, n.d., “4. Situational Theories,” para. 5.). This type of leadership style would allow Brown to develop and utilize charismatic, servant, and authentic leadership skills. These contemporary approaches to leadership is believed to be related to employee attitudes and a healthy work environment (UMGC, n.d., para. 1). Through a democratic leadership approach, LSN leaders can communicate effectively and efficiently, contribute their thoughts, develop a plan, and vote on the best course of action. III. What leadership competencies did Michael Brown present in the recent echinacea crisis? As the VP of Headquarter Operations, Michael Brown must demonstrate a variety of leadership competencies. Upon learning of the illness of many customers, Brown immediately contacted the

legal department, effectively displaying his decision-making abilities. Additionally, Brown demonstrated his ability to manage politics and influence others (SHRM, 2008, “Essential Leadership Competencies,” fig. 1). However, during the echinacea crisis, Brown fell short in his ability to display some of the most critical of leadership competencies. IV. Identify the leadership competencies beneficial for a crisis-ready culture. The Vice President of Operations is required to report to the President and CEO of LSN; therefore, they must demonstrate professional confidence and effective communication skills. To effectively navigate through a crisis, a leader must possess leadership competencies such as accountability, adaptability, self-awareness, and the ability to exhibit leadership stature with effective communication skills. The best leaders take full responsibility for their team’s performance, whether the outcome is good or bad and make a point of serving as a role model (Indeed, 2023, “Top 10 Leadership Traits,” para. 1). Additionally, adapting a flexible approach to a crisis will allow LSN leaders to pivot as necessary. As adaptability is developed, a leader may also develop related leadership characteristics, such as resourcefulness and problem-solving abilities (Indeed, 2023, “Top 10 Leadership Traits,” para. 2). Effective communication is perhaps the most important leadership competency an individual can hone. The ability to use a variety of communication styles to generate effective two-way communication builds trust, prevents performance problems, and gives leaders the ability to articulate goals and objectives to pave the way for healthy working relationships (The Ken Blanchard Company, n.d., “Question 2: Communicating/listening,” p.3, para. 1). By possessing these leadership competencies, LSN executives will ensure its leaders are capable of leading in uncertain situations. V. Identify the role that EQ played in the Echinacea crisis. Emotional intelligence (EI or EQ for ‘emotional quotient”) is how we perceive, evaluate, express, and control emotions. The ability to express and control emotions to communicate with and relate to others effectively and constructively is just as important as a leader’s ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others (Cherry, 2023, para. 1). The echinacea crisis revealed a severe lack of EQ. Not only did Michael Brown fail to evaluate and communicate with LSN executives prior to Henrietta Higgins termination, he demonstrated his inability to manage emotions in a difficult situation. Brown would have been able to demonstrate exceptional EQ skills if he were able to think before terminating Higgins as well as displayed a high level of self-awareness and empathy. VI. Identify the role of EQ for a crisis-ready culture. Often striking without warning, crises can emerge in many different forms, therefore it is vital that LSN has a formulated contingency emergency plan that includes one crucial factor: emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2023, para.1). Emotional intelligence in a crisis-ready culture can help manage conflicts, foster teamwork, and ensure business operations continue to run smoothly. The four domains of emotional intelligence include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, each of which can help a leader face any crisis

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