Authoritativeness

• Authoritativeness is necessary for a crisis leader. A crisis leader speaks with authority and leaves others with a sense of security and trust in his knowledge, judgment and abilities.To accomplish this, strong command of detail is necessary in crisis leaders.
  
  

Calmness

• In times of crisis, it is vital for leaders to have the ability to always maintain composure and to be calm, cool and collected. True leaders never lose their cool, because doing so can lead to more chaos and a domino effect in terms of a negative reaction from others. Confidence is key. It is important for leaders to set aside personal feelings, fears and worries that they might have. Stress management skills are a must for any capable leader.
  
  

Communication

• Strong communication is vital to be a good leader in times of crisis. Good leaders need to maintain open communication lines. It is important for leaders to display strong listening skills and to actively listen to what other people have to say, whether it is regarding their own personal opinions or any possible concerns they are experiencing.
  
  

Preparation

• Preparedness and decisiveness are essential skills for leaders in crisis situations. Crisis typically hits without warning. It is vital for leaders to make quick, defining decisions that have key effects on everyone involved. Leaders need to take action without having a lot of time to prepare. It is important for leaders always to be prepared and to know that whatever they do will have consequences and that people are always watching them.
  
  

Focus

• In situations of crisis, it is all too easy for chaos and panic to run rampant and for people to forget exactly what they need to be doing. Leaders need the ability to shift the focus back to the main goal. It is crucial for leaders to remind people to think about the big picture and not only the crisis at hand.
  
  

Awareness

• To properly handle any crisis situation, it is vital for leaders to have an awareness and understanding of all of the strong and negative points of everyone involved. Leaders need to know the people they are working with, and they need to know in detail what their personal skills are. This is important for solving crisis situations. When something big happens, leaders need to know exactly whom to call and depend on.