Crisis Management: Learning Lessons from Humanitarian Leaders

In an era of increasing business uncertainty, entrepreneurs can learn valuable lessons from humanitarian leaders who navigate complex crises daily. Through conversations with Dominic Courage of the Humanitarian Leadership Academy, we explore how humanitarian leadership principles can transform business crisis management and foster resilient organisations.

The Foundation of Crisis Leadership: Empathy

At the heart of effective crisis management lies a perhaps surprising core competency: empathy. As Courage emphasises, “If you don’t have empathy, then you’ll fail.” This insight resonates powerfully in the business world, where leaders often face the temptation to distance themselves from the human impact of crises. The cautionary tale of BP’s CEO Tony Hayward during the Deepwater Horizon disaster, declaring “I’d just like to get my life back,” demonstrates how a lack of empathy can devastate leadership credibility.

For business leaders, cultivating genuine empathy means maintaining connection with employees, customers, and stakeholders affected by organisational challenges. This requires conscious effort to understand different perspectives and context, particularly when making difficult decisions under pressure.

The Dance Floor and the Balcony

Humanitarian leaders practice what Courage describes as oscillating between “the dance floor and the balcony” – engaging directly with crisis details while maintaining strategic oversight. This dual perspective is crucial for business leaders navigating turbulent times:

• On the dance floor: Immerse yourself in operational realities, understand ground-level challenges, and maintain direct connection with your team
• From the balcony: Step back to assess broader patterns, identify strategic opportunities, and maintain perspective on long-term objectives

Managing Organisational Dynamics

Crisis situations often amplify existing organisational tensions. Courage’s experience during the Rohingya crisis offers valuable insights for business leaders:

• Expect internal friction when external constraints prevent action
• Channel team energy productively when usual outlets are blocked
• Recognise that team tension during crisis is often systemic rather than a leadership failure
• Create frameworks and routines that provide direction amid uncertainty

Building Collaborative Ecosystems

Modern crises require looking beyond organisational boundaries. Humanitarian organisations, despite their distinct mandates, work in clusters to maximise impact. Business leaders can adopt this collaborative mindset by:

• Identifying potential partners before crisis strikes
• Establishing coordination mechanisms that preserve organisational independence while enabling collective action
• Leveraging shared resources and capabilities effectively
• Building trust-based relationships across sector boundaries

Adapting to Changing Contexts

The humanitarian sector’s evolution offers lessons in organisational adaptation. As global dynamics shift, successful organisations must:

• Recognise changing stakeholder expectations
• Re-evaluate traditional operating models
• Empower local leadership and decision-making
• Maintain core purpose while adapting methods

Practical Implementation for Business Leaders

To apply these humanitarian leadership principles:

1. Invest in crisis simulation training that tests both technical and emotional responses
2. Develop systems understanding across your organisation
3. Build flexible response frameworks that can adapt to different crisis types
4. Foster authentic connections with stakeholders at all levels
5. Create space for regular perspective-taking and strategic reflection

Sustaining Hope and Purpose

Perhaps the most powerful lesson from humanitarian leadership is the importance of maintaining hope while facing daunting challenges. As Courage notes, humanitarian work fundamentally expresses human solidarity – a principle equally valuable in business leadership.

For entrepreneurs navigating crises, this means:

• Anchoring decisions in core organisational purpose
• Maintaining focus on positive impact potential
• Building resilience through shared commitment to meaningful goals
• Recognising that challenges, while significant, are rarely insurmountable

The humanitarian sector’s approach to crisis management offers rich insights for business leaders. By adopting these principles – from empathetic leadership to ecosystem thinking – entrepreneurs can build more resilient organisations capable of navigating modern challenges while maintaining their fundamental purpose and values.