Crisis Leadership: Using Military Lessons, Organizational Experiences, and the Power of Influence to Lessen the Impact of Chaos on the People You Lead

APPENDIX A: The Crisis Action Plan (CAP)

If leaders are to be effective in a crisis, there are a number of things they must do that fall into the category of management. One of those things is the development of a crisis action plan (CAP) that outlines what should be done and by whom when a crisis hits. The leader’s management actions are significant because of the potentially high impact these actions will have on the needs, emotions, and behaviors of those being led. Understanding and responding to this impact, both positive and negative, will assist the leader in being more effective in a crisis situation.

Leaders of vision anticipate the possibility of a crisis and know that when a crisis hits it’s too late to plan, and, even worse, it’s ...