Leadership lessons in times of crisis

Harvard Business School Professor Bill George, whose previous books include True North and Authentic Leadership, has a new book on the market called “7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis.”

His view is that we should see a crisis as a chance to develop and enhance leadership skills.

The Professor of Management Practice at HBS and the former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, believes that no one can be an effective leader in a crisis by attempting to go it alone. Leaders must be the first to recognize this reality and plan accordingly, he says.

His seven leadership recommendations are to:

• Face reality, starting with yourself.
• Don’t be Atlas; get the world off your shoulders.
• Dig deep for the root cause.
• Get ready for the long haul.
• Never waste a good crisis.
• You’re in the spotlight: follow your True North.
• Go on offense: focus on winning now.

It makes sense to me!