What Followers Need from Leaders During a Crisis

Introduction

A crisis is a serious event with the potential to disrupt an organization. The fact that a crisis can negatively affect a business is precisely why leaders need to prepare for and resolve crises when they occur (Carrington, Combe, & Mumford, 2019). Perhaps one of the most important things leaders must do to resolve crises is to understand them thoroughly. Crises can have several obvious and hidden meanings and consequences, and only a thorough understanding of them allows leaders to form teams and plan effective responses. Leaders therefore play an indispensable role in resolving crises, and this is the reason why, when crises emerge, followers often seek direction and guidance from those in charge. This paper investigates what exactly followers seek — and need — from their leaders during crises.

Methodology and Results

This research employed a qualitative research design to gather the data needed to answer the research question. The population from whom data were gathered consisted solely of followers and subordinates from the Department of Justice. Data were collected through structured interviews, with questions designed to determine what subordinates wanted from their leaders in times of crisis. A total of three followers working in the United States Department of Justice participated in the study: two Sheriff Deputies and one Marshall. The principal investigator conducted the interviews by sending the same questionnaire to all three participants via email and allocating a two-week return period. The interview data were then coded to eliminate identifying information and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Table 1. Interviewees

Int-1: Sheriff Officer, Deputy, Miami-Dade
Int-2: Sheriff Officer, Deputy, Brevard County
Int-3: Soldier, Marshall, U.S. Department of Justice

Findings and Discussion

Theme 1: Trust — Be Predictable in an Unpredictable Time

Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic create uncertainties and make people worried about the future. The first step to resolving a crisis that strikes an organization is for the organization's leaders to acknowledge the crisis and its potential effects. The need for leaders to acknowledge crises was highlighted by Int-1, who stated that during the coronavirus pandemic he expected the leaders at his workplace to be selfless and to completely acknowledge the crisis and its impacts — on businesses, and on the lives of ordinary families. The virus and its negative effects had made things deeply uncertain, and the interviewee believed that selflessness and acknowledgment of the issue at hand were essential.

Int-1 also stated that he expected his leaders to conduct themselves ethically and humanely, and to be transparent. This shows that workers need honest, transparent, and trustworthy leaders during crises. He further stated that he expected his leaders to adhere strictly to the laws of the state and the Constitution (Int-1). Considering that the interviewee is a police officer, this expectation is somewhat predictable — but beyond that context, the statement reveals that followers expect their leaders to remain competent and to continue following established rules even under pressure. This argument is reinforced by the second interviewee.

According to Int-2, leaders should be competent and confident. He added that leaders ought to lead from the front and, while doing so, should make genuine efforts to understand their followers and treat them with dignity and respect (Int-2).

Taken together, both interviews reveal that followers need certainty and predictability. The coronavirus crisis has made many things uncertain and unpredictable, which is precisely why followers look to their leaders for a sense of stability, competence, and honesty. Research conducted in 2019 indicated that only 13 percent of employees in the United States agreed that their leaders communicate effectively (Harter, 2019). This finding underscores the importance of more effective and transparent communication as a foundation for building trust — during crises and beyond.

Theme 2: Compassion — Say It Out Loud and Back It Up with Policy

When crises strike, leaders must empathize with followers — this is one of the things followers need most. The third respondent stated that during times of crisis he expects his leaders to show empathy for the misfortunes and sufferings of others (Int-3). When leaders fail to show empathy or compassion, there is no close relationship between them and their followers, and employees will be working merely out of obligation rather than genuine engagement. To build close relationships and make employees feel genuinely cared for, leaders must be empathetic. Int-1 underscored this point, noting that during the coronavirus crisis his leaders demonstrated empathy by acknowledging the risks inherent in his line of work, providing additional personal protective equipment, and making themselves more available to address any concerns he or his colleagues might have (Int-1).

Crises typically produce uncertainty, problems, and fear. Followers need to hear their leaders say clearly that they understand the crisis and its effects, and that they are working diligently toward solutions that will benefit everyone. Such a statement signals compassion — but compassion expressed only in words is insufficient. Followers also need leaders to act, by creating new policies or making concrete changes that demonstrate genuine empathy. Int-2 captured this point well, noting that one of the actions his leaders took at the start of the coronavirus pandemic was to redistribute him and his colleagues to support emergency operation centers and nursing homes throughout the state (Int-2).

Crises affect people in varied ways. The coronavirus crisis, for example, has harmed nearly everyone financially by significantly reducing economic activity, and has taken a mental health toll through prolonged stay-at-home orders that reduced socialization. Leaders who express compassion and visibly demonstrate that they understand what is happening are strongly preferred in such situations (Skeet, 2020). Similarly, research by Kranke et al. (2020) found that followers frequently prefer leaders who express genuine compassion during crises. The findings from the present study are therefore consistent with those of prior research.

Theme 3: Stability — Provide Psychological Safety and Avoid Tunnel Vision

During crises, followers need leaders who provide both psychological and practical stability. Ensuring that employees have the equipment they require to do their jobs in rapidly changing situations provides practical stability and enables followers to play their roles in resolving crises. This was echoed by Int-3, who cited New York Governor Cuomo as an example of a leader who provided both emotional support and the practical resources his followers needed to respond effectively to the coronavirus pandemic (Int-3).

Practical stability is important, but psychological stability and security are even more so, according to Int-3. Leaders need to communicate with followers clearly — articulating what factors will guide their decision-making and when they will deliver much-needed answers. Int-3 stated that when crises or conflicts occur, it is up to leaders to communicate clearly about the situation and to make it known that they will pursue the most ethical decisions available to them (Int-3).

Part of providing psychological security involves making things feel as normal as possible. Leaders can achieve this by providing regular updates and allowing everything that can reasonably continue unchanged to do so. All three respondents noted that their leaders provide regular updates and meet with them consistently to keep work on track. Int-1 reported that his captain speaks with him regularly and provides both formal and informal feedback, which he finds very helpful (Int-1). Int-2 said that he meets with his colleagues and leaders at least once every seven days, which helps him continue working effectively through the crisis (Int-2). Int-3 stated that ongoing feedback is helping him correct mistakes and continue to improve (Int-3).

The finding that both psychological and practical stability are needed during crises aligns with research by Rogers and Barber (2019), who found that employees with emotional stability — who understand where their organizations are heading and feel secure in their roles — perform significantly better. Leaders must therefore promote stability and maintain consistent communication with followers, particularly during crises, to sustain performance.

Theme 4: Hope — Your Most Precious Asset During Turmoil

Hope is important because it inspires commitment and motivation. When followers are given hope, they become committed to the mission and motivated to contribute, which consistently improves performance. Leaders who provide stability and demonstrate trustworthiness automatically inspire hope among their followers and invite them to invest in shared goals. In this study, all three followers expressed a need for hope from their leaders. Int-1, for example, noted that the availability of staff to address concerns gave him hope (Int-1). Int-3 observed that transformational leaders tend to possess the skills needed to shape the emotional atmosphere of an organization — in other words, they know how to inspire hope (Int-3).

It is therefore important to treat hope as a critical leadership asset. Followers who are hopeful tend to be more agile, innovative, and resilient, and they plan more effectively. Business leaders can inspire hope in a variety of ways, including by clearly communicating what employees need to do to achieve their goals. Providing hope gives followers motivation, which is especially vital during crises. This resonates with what Int-2 stated — that hope and motivation enable him and his colleagues to embrace their mission and to feel like genuine agents of change (Int-2).

Crises bring despair, fear, and uncertainty. The antidote to these negative forces is hope and motivation. Leaders who can provide hope and motivation during crises give their followers what they need to conquer uncertainty, fear, and despair, and to play their part in improving difficult situations (Hofmeyr, Cook, & Richardson, 2011). Leaders who know how to inspire hope are better crisis managers and consistently enable their organizations to perform at a higher level.