Leading through disruption with clarity, composure, and coordinated response.
Leading an organisation through a crisis is a demanding task and requires teamwork. These situations often unfold rapidly and with high levels of uncertainty and pressure. Crisis response team must navigate multiple challenges including communication, stakeholder management, and internal dynamics during times of severe disruption.鈥��
As a senior member of your organisation, providing clarity and structure is critical.鈥�� Establishing an effective crisis governance structure early on helps align the response, ensuring roles and responsibilities are understood and coordinated. Identifying key stakeholders and addressing their needs quickly is vital to sustaining operational continuity and public confidence. External communication plays a pivotal role in crisis leadership. Maintaining or rebuilding trust with customers, partners, and the broader public is essential to safeguarding your organisation’s reputation. Clear, credible, and consistent messaging is necessary when engaging with the media and other external audiences.鈥��
Equally important is supporting your internal crisis response team and wider organisations. Crisis events often bring emotional strain and uncertainty fatigues. For successfully responding to severe disruptions, leaders need to provide reassurance and directions to manage the uncertainty and emotional fatigue.鈥�
This course equips participants with frameworks, tools, and techniques to lead effectively under pressure. It provides practical insights for managing emotionally charges situations, coordinating response efforts, and building organisation resilience in the face of crisis.鈥�
Who is it for
This programme is designed for senior leader, crisis managers, and decision-makers who are responsible for navigating their organisations through high-stakes, high-pressure situations. It is particularly suited to those who want to strengthen their ability to lead during uncertainty and build resilience within their teams and organisations.鈥��
This course is ideal for individuals who want to:鈥�
- Enhance their leadership capacity in crisis and high-stress environments鈥�
- Develop practical tools to manage stakeholder dynamics鈥�
- Gain confidence in shaping effective and external crisis communication strategies鈥�
- Support teams through emotionally charged situation while maintaining focus and morale鈥�
- Build a robust crisis governance structure to respond with agility and clarity鈥�
- Reflect on their leadership style and strengthen their ability to remain composed and credible in times of disruption.
What you will learn
During this crisis leadership programme, you will develop skill to lead with clarity and confidence in high-pressure situations. You will explore how to sustain high performance in emotionally charged environments and protect the organization’s reputation.鈥��
You will learn how to develop a crisis governance structure and manage your priorities during intense periods of disruption.鈥��
The programme will guide you in developing practical skills and behaviours to lead a team and effectively communicate with external stakeholders, including the media.鈥�
You will also explore the psychological dimensions of leadership in crisis, gaining insight into how stress, uncertainty, and group dynamics influence crisis management.
Strengthening your emotional intelligence and self-awareness will help you build trust, communicate with impact and support your team with empathy and assurance.鈥�
Through immersive learning, peer engagement, and reflection, you will deepen your understanding of what it means to lead a team in a high-pressure situation.鈥�
Programme impact
For you:
Whether you are leader seeking to deepen your crisis management expertise or stepping into a role that demands greater level of strategic responsibility, this programme will prepare you to lead with impact, confidence and empathy through disruption. It will strengthen your capacity to respond under pressure while supporting the wellbeing of both yourself and your team.鈥�
Through this experience, you will:鈥�
- Build the skills to lead decisively and authentically in times of crisis and uncertainty鈥�
- Gain a practical toolkit to manage high-pressure situations, from stakeholder engagement to media communication鈥�
- Reflect on your leadership approach and how you respond emotionally and strategically during disruption鈥�
- Understand the psychological and emotional dynamics of crisis situations and how to support your team鈥�
- Participate in experiential learning alongside other senior professionals facing similar challenges鈥�
- Leave with renewed confidence to lead your organisation through complexity and toward recovery.
For your organisation:
This crisis management and communication programme will equip your senior leaders with the mindset, tools and strategic insight to guide your organisation through crisis situations and protect the organisation’s reputation. It is designed to deliver immediate value through enhanced leadership capabilities and crisis management skills.鈥�
Your organisation will benefit as leaders:
- Return with strengthened crisis management skills鈥�
- Enhance organisational preparedness by applying structured approaches to crisis governance and decision-making鈥�
- Build a culture of trust among your team鈥�
- Support team wellbeing by fostering calm and confident leadership under pressure鈥�
- Improve coordination and collaboration across departments during high-stakes scenarios鈥�
- Bring back fresh perspectives and renewed energy to lead organisational preparedness鈥�
- Access cutting-edge research and insights from 重口味SM experts in crisis leadership and communication
How to apply
Next steps
Our premium executive development programmes are a strategic investment, with competitive pricing thoughtfully determined by the programme's scope and design to meet your organisation's needs.
Our team of resilience experts will be happy to talk to you about your organisation's development needs. Leave your details below and we'll get back to you.
You can also email ORaCL@cranfield.ac.uk directly with any queries.
