Positive Leadership: The Staff Series “Crisis Management”
July 8, 2016
The Positive Leadership series taught by the faculty of the Ross School of Business for the staff covered a variety of topics. This week’s focus is on crisis management. Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Lynn Wooten, has shared her expertise on crisis management inside and outside of the classroom setting. She helped attendees of these sessions to see the big picture when dealing with problems but also how to manage them. Continue reading to find out what Research Communication Officer, Terry Kosdrosky, learned.
Terrence Kosdrosky
Research Communication Officer
Years at Ross: 8
1. Before you attended the sessions, what did you think you were going to gain from them?
I went in with a pretty open mind. Working in Marketing Communications, I knew some of the material because I had written about it. However, I only had bits and pieces and wanted to see the whole picture.
2. How would you explain/describe the experience of attending these sessions to a close friend or family member?
Everybody should attend these sessions because everyone can use the material presented. Whether you work outside of the home or not, if you have to deal with other humans, these sessions are valuable.
3. How do you see yourself applying what you learned in your everyday life?
I’ve started keeping a gratitude journal. Even though I may not write in it every day, I want to keep this practice up. The discussion on crisis management was especially helpful. We may not have to deal with life-and-death situations in our work life, but we can have a lot of little crises that can pile up. Attending these sessions has helped me deal with the little crises and prevent them from becoming big ones.
4. What constitutes a positive work environment?
A positive workplace is one that promotes a learning environment as opposed to a task-oriented punitive environment. It is a place where everyone works together to find answers and have common goals. People are encouraged to step out of their role and to take advantage of professional development opportunities in order to learn. Members of this workplace look forward to coming to work.
COMMENTS:
I felt lucky to be able to take these classes. It was a wonderful opportunity given to staff during work time.
If you would like to discover how to be a more effective and positive leader, we highly recommend that you read the book How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact, edited by Jane E. Dutton and Gretchen M. Spreitzer.
Positive Leadership: The Staff Series is a group of interviews capturing staff reflections after participating in the Positive Leadership Workshops.