Crisis leadership from the perspective of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to identify traits and behaviors of organization leaders that were deemed helpful by employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This is an exploratory qualitative study that utilized online surveys. Data from 155 participants were subjected to content analysis. Findings Several interrelated traits and behaviors of effective crisis leadership were identified. These were clustered into three superordinate themes – attending to the person, taking charge and showing the way forward and sustaining the spirit. Research limitations/implications Findings from this paper can be furthered by conducting quantitative studies to validate themes and/or test a conceptual model of effective crisis leadership. Gathering data from other populations at different points in time during the COVID-19 pandemic may also be useful. Practical implications A review of leadership development programs and organization norms and values is recommended in order to ensure that they are consistent with crisis leadership competencies. Originality/value This paper helps address the gap on follower-centered perspectives about organizational leadership responses to crises and highlights the importance of care and compassion in leading employees during difficult times.