Crisis Leadership: Political Leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article identifies leadership attributes that enable effective leaders to manage crises. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 13 Australian political leaders, including senators, members of federal and state parliament, premiers, ministers, and mayors of local governments. The findings suggest that, to be an effective leader during a crisis, political leaders need to be: visionary; courageous; calm; inspirational; ethical; empathetic; authentic; and resilient. Single leadership theories do not capture all the attributes necessary to lead during a crisis, suggesting the importance of different, complementary theories. The findings clarify what it takes for politicians to lead during a global crisis, like COVID-19. Furthermore, they provide a foundation to enable constituents to gauge their political leaders' leadership capacities. Despite extensive research on what it takes to lead, little is known about political leadership during a crisis. The study unveils the key attributes that are essential for political leaders to navigate a crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Automated summary

This article identifies the leadership attributes necessary for effective political leaders to manage crises. The study conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 Australian political leaders and found that leaders need to be visionary, courageous, calm, inspirational, ethical, empathetic, authentic, and resilient during a crisis. The findings emphasize the importance of different and complementary theories to capture all the necessary attributes. This study provides insights into political leadership during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and enables constituents to evaluate their leaders' leadership capacities.