The first thing that makes a leader effective is for him/her to have the ability to remain calm during a situation. If the leader remains calm during a crisis or disaster, others that are involved will also remain calm. Also, when a person remains calm, it allows them to think and re-think their plan(s) for survival. While a plan can easily be made for small situations such as: a fire or drought. Planning for tough situations such as: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions can be a little harder to plan for. Either way, a leader needs to understand that even though a plan has been made, it does not mean that it won’t change. An effective leader needs to know common sense and be able to make last minute changes and decisions without hesitating.

A leader needs to have excellent communication skills to make sure that proper information is given to others that need it. He/she also needs to be able to speak to the public or press during a crisis or disaster to give vital information. This can affect how many lives are saved in a dangerous situation. A leader must also be able to listen to others advice and opinions without getting impatient or out of control. In order for a good leader to be able to possess all of these traits, he/she needs to have commitment to their job as a leader. If a person doesn’t have the passion to become an effective leader, it could affect others that are involved or even those that have yet to become involved.

A leader needs to understand that they cannot prevent or stop a crisis or disaster. Although they need to be able to use the traits above to help while the situation is occurring. A leader may not always have help during a crisis or disaster, so he/she needs to be able to handle a large workload for himself/herself. The next few paragraphs will explain a few crises or natural disasters and give some ideas on how a leader can approach a situation such as these.

Economic: An economic crisis can affect businesses, individuals or organizations. A leader must have a plan if a crisis comes up and be able to assess the situation and minimize damage. The crisis could be an employee of a business embezzling assets or committing fraud. A personal crisis could be the loss of a family member or loss of income in a family. Either way, a leader needs to make sure that he/she can provide comfort and stability for others involved.

Natural: A natural disaster could strike at any time. A leader needs to have an action plan for disasters such as an earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane, flood, tornado or fire. A leader needs to be able to communicate with city officials to make sure everyone is warned with enough time to react to the disaster. Equipment such as computers (if available) needs to be up to day and working properly. During a hurricane, a leader needs to be able to access materials to board businesses and homes before the hurricane hits. As a homeowner, a leader needs to be having insurance on their home, especially if in a high-risk area. Each family and business owner should have a fire escape plan for everyone inside the building. The leader of the home/business should go over the plan with others often to make sure everyone understand where they are to go in case of an emergency. During a volcanic eruption, an evacuation plan should be created and residents of the town/city need to be updated any time there are changes made.

Terrorism: The president, for example is the leader of the United States of America. It is his decisions among others that work along side of him that affect the lives of the citizens. Any time there is a terrorist threat against the country, he/she has the responsibility to research the threat and make a decision. Sometimes there is no time to think about the decision that needs to be made, so he/she needs to be able to make decisions on a last minute basis. It’s the same with all other countries, not just the U.S.A.; leaders need to be able to understand that with one statement or decision, it could affect the whole world. Terrorism is something that no one ever wants to deal with but needs to be prepared for. A leader of a home or business should have an emergency kit stored away in a safe location should there be a terrorist attack upon their area.

A leader is someone that is able to understand others and their needs. A leader is to be effective in every situation, dangerous or not. Everyone in one-way or another is a leader in his or her everyday lives. Some realize it and have a job title to go along with it and others are just everyday parents that lead their children to live healthy lifestyles. Either way, to make a great leader, you have to have courage and commitment.

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