Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

How to Handle a Crisis

Friday, February 8, 2013, By Keith Kobland
Share

humphreyWorld leaders are often defined by the decisions they make during times of crisis. Typically, decisions are made under the most stressful of conditions. Often decisions are made with little sleep.

“Sometimes leaders and groups spend days working on these problems and can’t rest, so there are psychological and cognitive issues to deal with,” according to Bruce Dayton, a research professor and associate director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. Dayton is leading a three-day conference hosted by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs called “Leadership Training in Times of Crisis.” The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Enhancement Workshop takes place Feb. 11-14, with 34 fellows from 32 countries taking part.

Syracuse University is one of 18 host campuses for this fellowship, which is sponsored and funded by the U.S. Department of State. The Institute of International Education administers the program, which hosts more than 190 fellows from more than 90 emerging democracies and developing countries for a year of professional development, academic study and cultural exchange. At the Maxwell School, the executive education program administers both the fellowship and this enhancement workshop.

“Crises, by definition,” says Dayton, “are the perfect storms of short time, high threat and uncertainty. Rushing to make a decision can only exasperate the situation. Especially rushing to make a decision before all the facts are known and making decisions that in retrospect are tragically wrong.”

The conference will provide current and emerging leaders with the dynamics and processes needed for leadership decisionmaking in times of crisis, helping participants identify patterns of leadership that appear to be effective (or ineffective) in forecasting, preparing for, managing, communicating about and learning from crises. The workshop will give fellows perspectives and tools to more effectively address a wide range of crises, including humanitarian emergencies, political instability and civil unrest, terrorism, natural disasters, health pandemics, industrial accidents, financial crises and foreign policy crises.

It’s much more than simply keeping your wits.

“There’s time pressure and a great amount of uncertainty about what’s happening, how quickly it’s going to happen and why it’s happening,” says Dayton, using the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as an example. Some 400 crisis cases were reviewed by conference organizers, who plan to draw from examples during workshops. Organizers also plan to “go out in the community,” according to Dayton, including a meeting with Onondaga County Health Commissioner Cynthia Morrow to discuss how her office handled the H1N1 flu pandemic.

While the debate may continue over whether great leaders are born or created, the three-day conference will serve as a training ground for future leaders to prepare themselves for the unexpected, and handle the perfect storm created by a crisis situation.

  • Author

Keith Kobland

  • Recent
  • Most Read
  • Matt Shumer ’22 Selected to Showcase His Innovations in Several National Events
    Thursday, December 12, 2019, By Cristina Hatem
  • Associate Dean Gurdip Singh Named as a Division Director by the National Science Foundation
    Thursday, December 12, 2019, By Alex Dunbar
  • Applications for Spring 2020 Campus Business Plan Competitions Now Open
    Thursday, December 12, 2019, By Cristina Hatem
  • Syracuse University Holds 35th Annual International Thanksgiving Celebration
    Thursday, December 12, 2019, By News Staff
  • Board of Trustees Announces Special Committee; Engages Independent Panel of National Experts to Assess and Advise on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion
    Thursday, December 12, 2019, By News Staff
  • SU in the News: Tuesday, July 3
    Tuesday, July 3, 2012, By News Staff
  • Syracuse University Permanently Expels Theta Tau Chapter
    Saturday, April 21, 2018, By News Staff
  • Seven Syracuse Alumni Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Lists
    Thursday, January 5, 2017, By John Boccacino
  • Syracuse University Announces $118 Million Investment to Create a New Stadium Experience
    Monday, May 14, 2018, By News Staff
  • 100 Years after WWI: The Lasting Impacts of the Great War
    Monday, July 28, 2014, By Kathleen Haley

More In Uncategorized

Syracuse’s Seasons: What’s To Blame For Our Harsh Winters?

Tripti Bhattacharya, assistant professor of earth sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, was interviewed for the Syracuse.com article “25 things that make Syracuse great: The seasons.” In the article, Bhattacharya explains the science behind the seasons and how…

How New Media Has Created Ethical Challenges For PR Practitioners

Anthony D’Angelo, public relations professor at Newhouse, was a presenter at the PRSA  2019 International Conference in San Diego, California on “Ethical Practices in the 21st Century.” In his presentation, D’Angelo contributed to the discussion about ethical challenges in the…

Tariffs Placed on China May Do More Harm Than Good

Mary Lovely, professor of economics in the Maxwell School, was interviewed for the PolitiFact story “PolitiFact’s guide to understanding tariffs and international trade.” In the article, Lovely explains the impact of U.S. imposed tariffs on China, including a spike in…

Abandoned Malls Are Paving the Way For Something New

Amanda Nicholson, former professor of retail practice and assistant provost and dean for student success, was interviewed for the Washington Post article “Abandoned malls are sputtering back to life with megachurches, rooftop pools and homeless shelters.” Nicholson commented on the…

YouTube Fails In Its Fight Against Disinformation

Jennifer Grygiel, assistant professor of communications in the Newhouse School, was quoted in the Pro Publica article “YouTube Promised to Label State-Sponsored Videos But Doesn’t Always Do So.”

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2019 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.