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Cover of The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--and Why

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--and Why

By Amanda Ripley

Ever wonder why some people freeze in a crisis, some panic, and others know just what to do? Then this book is for you. Amanda Ripley conducted extensive research and interviewed survivors of major crises to identify the factors that help people survive--and even thrive--during a crisis. This book can help you learn to avoid the denial and decision paralysis that cause many people to become useless during a crisis. Please read this book--and have your team do the same.   Read More...

Cover of Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems Before They Happen

Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems Before They Happen

By Michael A. Roberto

The best way to manage a crisis is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Michael Roberto's book Know What You Don't Know provides a useful framework that can help leaders learn to surface problems before they fester and erupt into a crisis. Includes chapters on how senior leaders can circumvent their "gatekeepers" to get an unvarnished view of what is going on in the organization, how to connect the dots, and how to talk about and listen for problems. Also focuses on the importance of intellectual curiosity, systemic thinking, and "healthy paranoia." Highly readable with many real-world examples.  Read More...

Cover of Crisis Leadership by Gene Klann

Crisis Leadership

By Gene Klann

Most large organizations experience a crisis at some point, and leaders tend to understand the importance of having a good crisis management plan. In his book Crisis Leadership, Gene Klann focuses on the human element of crises, especially how crises impact the organization's employees and what leaders can do to minimize the negative effects. Klann argues that three key components of effective leadership--communication, clarity of vision and values, and caring--are especially important during a crisis. Includes an excellent discussion of how to build a strong team before a crisis hits to ensure that things will go better during the crisis.   Read More...

Cover of Shackleton's Way

Shackleton's Way

By Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell

Ernest Shackletons' Antarctic adventure is one of the greatest known stories of crisis leadership. Shackleton's Way draws on many sources, including the writings of Shackleton and his men, weaving a compelling portrait of Shackleton while describing the many difficult situations that he and his men had to overcome in their fight for survival. There are many other great tellings of the tale, such as Alfred Lansing's book Endurance and the HBO min-series Shackleton (starring Kenneth Branagh). But if you are looking for a version that focuses on Shackleton's leadership, you will love this book.  Read More...

Cover of "The Leadership Moment"

The Leadership Moment: Nine True Stories of Triumph and Disaster and Their Lessons for Us All

By Michael Useem

Michael Useem has identified nine powerful stories that illustrate different aspects of leadership, including the stories of Eugene Krantz (Apollo 13), Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (the Battle of Gettysburg), and Alfredo Cristiani (peace in El Salvador).  Useem's storytelling is compelling, and the lessons from each story are quite actionable.  This is a great read.  Read More...

Cover of Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

By Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire

Sent to Rwanda in November 1993 as UN Commander to enforce the Arusha Peace Accords between the Rwandan Hutus and Tutsis, Lt. General Roméo Dallaire of Canada ulimately bore witness to a genocide.  In Shake Hands with the Devil, Dallaire describes how the UN's leadership prohibited him from taking action that he believes could have pre-empted the genocide and then pulled out most of his troops once the genocide was underway.  This is an intense, complex, and beautifully written story of how international--and bureaucratic--indifference failed the Rwandan people.  Despite his impassioned efforts to stop the killing, Dallaire blamed himself for years for not having succeeded.  Read More...