Lynn Perry Wooten, a pioneering academic and the first African-American president of Simmons University, shares her expertise in crisis leadership. She discusses the recurring nature of crises and the critical importance of building trust quickly. Lynn emphasizes strategies like fostering 'swift trust' through vulnerability and empathy, and the value of frequent meetings for team performance. With her insights on adapting to challenges, she highlights how effective leadership can turn crises into opportunities for resilience and growth.
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insights INSIGHT
Crises Are Recurring
Crises are recurring events, not isolated incidents, demanding continuous preparation.
Leaders must develop a "muscle memory" for anticipating and learning from past crises.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Crises as Opportunities
View crises as both threats and opportunities.
How you respond depends on your subjective frame, so consider the entire picture.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Pre-Pandemic Virtual Work
Dave Stachowiak's client struggled to get board approval for one day of virtual work pre-pandemic.
The pandemic forced immediate adoption of virtual work, demonstrating how crises can accelerate change.
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7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership
Susan MacKenty Brady
Janet Foutty
Lynn Perry Wooten
This book provides actionable strategies and advice from successful leaders to empower women in navigating leadership challenges. It emphasizes practices such as investing in oneself, embracing authenticity, and fostering resilience to create a more inclusive and supportive work environment.
The Prepared Leader
Emerge from Any Crisis More Resilient Than Before
Erika James
Lynn Perry Wooten
The Prepared Leader encapsulates decades of research on crisis leadership, providing tools and frameworks for addressing crises. It outlines the five phases of crisis management and emphasizes the importance of prepared leadership as a fourth bottom line alongside people, profit, and the planet. The book offers insights from real-world examples, such as the NBA's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Positive Organizing in a Global Society
Martin N. Davidson
Laura Morgan Roberts
Lynn Perry Wooten
Positive Organizing in a Global Society unites the latest research in diversity, inclusion, and positive organizational scholarship to investigate dynamics in workplaces, schools, and communities. It covers topics such as authenticity, equity, intersectional identities, resilience, and the role of diversity in innovation, offering practical tips for leaders to bridge diversity and inclusion.
Lynn Perry Wooten: The Prepared Leader
Lynn Perry Wooten is a seasoned academic and an expert on organizational development and transformation. She became the ninth president of Simmons University on July 1, 2020 and is the first African American to lead the university. Her research specializes in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive leadership—organizational behavior that reveals and nurtures the highest level of human potential.
Lynn has also had a robust clinical practice, providing leadership development, education, and training for a wide variety of companies and institutions, from the Kellogg Foundation to Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and to Google. She is the coauthor of Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership and the coeditor of Positive Organizing in a Global Society: Understanding and Engaging Differences for Capacity Building and Inclusion. She is also the author with Erika James of The Prepared Leader: Emerge from Any Crisis More Resilient Than Before*.
In this conversation, Lynn and I discuss why crises are not isolated events, even through they are often treated that way. We explore the critical nature of trust and how to build it quickly in crisis. We then detail three key areas of trust that will help leaders begin to support a team shift towards better outcomes.
Key Points
Crises are not single events. They happen again and again, necessitating leaders preparation for them.
In normal times, trust is key. In a time of crisis, it’s essential.
Regular communication is essential in a crisis. Avoid the tendency to downplay risks. In fact, it’s useful to paint a picture of the worst case scenario.
Leaders need to determine is there is a strong sense of a contractual obligation between them and their teams.
It’s critical for leaders to assess the competence of their team to be able to respond to the crisis at hand.
Frequent, high performance meetings are essential during a time of crisis.
Resources Mentioned
The Prepared Leader: Emerge from Any Crisis More Resilient Than Before* by Lynn Perry Wooten and Erika James
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Lead in Crisis, with Carol Taylor (episode 55)
How to be Diplomatic, with Susan Rice (episode 456)
The Way Out of Major Conflict, with Amanda Ripley (episode 529)
The Starting Point for Inclusive Leadership, with Susan MacKenty Brady (episode 584)
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