Leadership in Times of Crisis

[ Login/Subscribe ]

Features

Departments

PPM

Tools

Executive

Resources

About Us

Home > Executive Report > Opinion

Leadership in Times of Crisis
Winston Scott (November 21, 2005)

Good leaders must not only be prepared for everything that might go wrong, they must come alive when faced with a predicament, large or small. A retired NASA astronaut shares five lessons on leadership.

Perhaps you’ve never been called upon to lead in a situation as fraught with potential peril as the manual capture of a $10 million, 3,000 pound, out of control satellite in outer space, but executive project leaders face major crises all the time: a scandal involving management, fall-out from an economic downturn, product malfunction, the loss of a key employee.

Leadership under extreme conditions, like those encountered aboard the space shuttle Columbia mission in 1999, requires key principles that will guide you, your team and your mission to success. The Columbia mission ultimately succeeded, and using the same principles of leadership that worked on this space mission, senior project leaders can turn an obstacle into an opportunity, too. Here are five lessons I can share from my experience on space missions.

#1: Prepare for the unknown.

A leader needs to anticipate potential problems as part of preparation.

Please login/register to read the entire article.

Sponsored Announcements and Special Offers

Project Management Software That Breaks the Mold - Is your team is struggling under the weight of outdated schedules, multiple spreadsheets, and mountains of email? Get organized, get visibility, and save up to 3 hours a day with LiquidPlanner. Scheduling has never been easier with drag-n-drop prioritization that fits the way YOUR team works. Free for 30 days.

Resource Planning Summit, Sept. 19-21, 2010, La Jolla, CA - Resource Planning is HOT today! Opening Keynoter Mike Hanford, Research Director at Gartner, will describe why, and what firms must do about it. Nine industry speakers will describe the startling results they have achieved. If you have anything to do with resource management, register NOW!

ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® is the premier conference for advancing collaboration through practice. The high level content cannot be found at any other industry event because it stretches far beyond the fundamentals to provide leadership, strategy and enterprise wide information - exactly what you need to be more valuable to yourself and your organization.

Are you ready to gain the highest recognition for a BA and apply the best practices defined in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®? Let us help you prepare for Certified Business Analysis Professional® certification with our CBAP® Exam Prep Course. We also provide CBAP® Application Workshops (free webinars) to help you successfully get approved for the CBAP® application.

Are your Business Analysis Skills Current? Business analysis is not just about IT requirements anymore. Organizations are looking for a new breed of professionals to bridge the business and technology gap with value-centric solutions. Develop the fundamental skills and best practices you need to stay ahead of changes in your field with our business analysis training offerings.

@task
BAM! BA Newsletter
BAMentor
IIL
Keller Graduate School
LiquidPlanner
Management Concepts
Microsoft
PM War Stories
PPM Executive Newsletter
Resource Plan Summit '10
RMC Project Mgmt
Stanford University
Walden University

September 2010:

What are the main reasons that projects fall behind schedule?