3 - Leadership Integrity - Andrea Graff

Andrea Graff

Reference: Lucas,  F., Katz, B. (2011). Gone with the wind? Integrity and Hurricane Katrina. New Directions for Student Services. (pp. 89-96).

Theme: Maintaining leadership integrity.

Summary:

• The number one characteristic that employees and the public want in a leader is integrity.

• To reassure employees and the public during and after a crisis there are some things you should keep in mind. The first is to make sure you keep calm. Emotions are highly contagious maintaining your composure will help to calm panicked people.

• Maintain a sense of humor. Spontaneous humor can help relieve the tension and overcome fear.

• Make sure you listen, it is the key to gaining assistance. And also communicate. "Accurate, timely, and ongoing information sharing is critical to maintain ethical and structural integrity on campus".

• And finally, take care of yourself. Over the days the strengths of the leaders get eroded, taking fifteen to thirty minutes of privacy each day can help to recenter and refocus.

Application to the lesson topic:
Integrity is the number one thing people look for in a leader. They need to know that when it comes to a crisis situation they can trust their leaders and there is no doubt as to what they are ordering.

Application to Emergency Services:
During a crisis situation it is important that we as leaders realize that everyone is going to be watching us and turning to us to see how they should be responding. It is up to us to keep our composure and help others to stay calm while at the same time getting things taken care of and making sure things get done.

3 - Leadership Through the Blur - Ray Huntzinger

Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times

ESMG 4200 Reading Summary #3



Ray Huntzinger

Reference:

Kerfoot, K. (2001, December). Leading through the blur: Leadership in
difficult times. Dermatology Nursing, 13(6), pp. 450-451.

Theme:

The theme of the article was that leadership requirements are
ever-changing and dynamic; and true leadership can only be measured by
how well a leader adapts during the difficult times.

Summary:

--Leadership abilities are measured in difficult times as most leaders
can survive when times are easy.

--Leadership in the face of terrorism will cause leaders to learn and
grow; those who choose these actions over fear will be successful.

--Successful leadership requires focused "community building" during
difficult times.

--To survive, leaders must look at adversity as a new chapter in their
lives and ultimately take advantage of the learning opportunity.

--Leaders must lead by example, particularly when it comes to showing
compassion.

--Leaders must foster an inner peace, avoiding negativity, hatred, or
self-loathing.

--Leaders must rise to the occasion and keep the "spirit of the
organization" alive.

Application to the lesson topic:

The article relates to the lesson topic because its ideas require
strong, decisive, and honest leadership. In addition, effective
communication skills are required to implement any of the suggested
strategies.

Application to emergency services:

The leadership ideas described in the article would make any emergency
service leader more effective. The Emergency services require
positivity, decisive, compassionate, proactive, and community-based
leadership ideals, just as the article suggests.

3- Leadership in the Face of Disaster - John Scardena

John Scardena

Reference:

Karlene Kerfoot (December, 2001) Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times

Theme:

Leaders become successful when they can understand what is going on despite chaos and grow in ability by using the five properties of leadership of disaster control

Summary:

-Recent Disasters like 9/11, floods in Houston, Oklahoma City Bombing, and tornados have created a new syndrome of nervousness called "anticipatory anxiety" which is a fear of the unknown.

- Leadership facing threats from terror and disaster has become very different than times past.

-Tests of leadership are not brought about by times of safety but by times of crisis

-In times of disasters leaders will raise from crisis because they choose to fight instead of flight.

-People will gravitate to those who are bold and seem to live without fear of the unknown

-This is a great time of learning and growing for leaders, just as a muscle grown from excursion so does a leader.

-This is a time to build the community

-The people who will suffer most in a disaster are those who do not have a support system.

-This is a time to rethink leadership qualities and training; i.e. new methods of leadership

This is a time for practicing compassion- leaders must lead by how they want the world to be governed.

-The world is attracted to leaders whom follow the golden rule.

-This is a time to focus on the spirit of peace.

-Leaders must look threw the blur of disasters and blow away the fog of confusion and become strong.

-People need strong leaders who are intelligent, courageous, and have a good heart.

Application to Lesson Topic:

            The leason focuses all about leadership, the view of leadership and what the World needs. I think this meshes with media because the leaders that we speak of and the ones we look up to are passionate and dramatic. Media thrives on these ideas thus making a positive link between the leaders we are looking for and the exposure that they need.

Application to Emergency Services:

            When I think of leaders in a disaster or crisis situation, I do think of the men and women that are in emergency services. Whether that be the police doing crowd control, the Red Cross comforting victims, members of Reaching Efforts taking control of clearing debris and rebuilding homes so that the communities can return, all have a place and all need to have courage so that victims and others suffering from anticipatory anxiety can feel safe and calm. Ultimately it will be the first responders becoming leaders who will help the initial calm and it will need to be the second responders and public servants who reinforce that calm by taking control, being peace makers, and offering peace. 

3- Compassionate, Courageous, and Committed - Mike Wayman

Reference:

Birchfield, R., & Brosnahan, J. (2011). Leaders for our times: Compassionate, courageous and committed. New Zealand Management, 58 (6), 22-24.

Theme:

The country needs courageous leaders to deal with natural disasters like the Canterbury earthquake. Leaders who are compassionate must become the new heroes of the society. 

Summary:

• In any type of disaster, natural or domestic a good leader is important
• Today's leaders need to make the connections between political, economic, commercial, environmental, social, cultural, community, ethical and moral actions and outcomes.
• Courageous leaders encourage the community to look for common good solutions among the diversity of options that confront them.
• Compassionate leaders must become society's new heroes.
• In a disaster leadership is vital, leaders must me cool, calm and collected
• Good leadership reassures the community and builds faith during a crisis

Application to the lesson topic:

Good leadership encourages a good working environment.

Application to emergency services:

Good leadership within emergency services is vital in helping those affected by a crisis. Good leadership is also vital to EMS workers in a high stress situation

3 - Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times - Robert Letterman

Rob Letterman

Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times

Reference

Kerfoot, K. (2001). Leading Through the Blur: Leadership in Difficult Times. Dermatology Nursing, 250-252.

Theme

               Rethinking the importance of leadership and how leaders are developed.  Leaders grow and improve in the face of adversity.

Summary

·        We live in times where our enemies are faceless and without a national identity.  Unlike in previous times when we knew who are enemies were.

·        Leaders are not measured by how they lead during times of peace, but during times of crisis when things don't go according to plan.

·        Adversity strengthens leadership much like physical exercise makes us stronger.  Leaders face the choice of fight or flight during difficult times.

·        Leadership is about advancing in times of struggle and there are many opportunities for to prove leadership.  Rudy Guiliani is an example.

·        Incidents that occur separate the wheat from the tares in terms of leadership.

·        Leaders must rise through the blur of disaster by clearing our heads of negative thoughts, anger, and hatred.  When we do this our minds are in a position to lead effectively.

Application to Lesson

               The examples given in this article reflect and discuss many of the same things we analyzed with Chris Christie.  Leading through difficult times gives legitimacy to a leader's methods and credibility in the eyes of those who follow them.

Application to Emergency Services

               The nature of emergency services requires leadership through difficult times.  Whether we are in a position of leadership or not disasters afford us the opportunity to prove ourselves and learn from the difficult situations that emergency services deal with.  Learning from the examples of other leaders is critical to success and we must apply the lessons learned for future situations.