Fortitude Valley - Queensland's leadership heroes

Before the recent floods, Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, faced not just political oblivion, but the prospect of a legacy as a grim and detached leader.

Commentators and the public have since praised Bligh's handling of the flood crisis, along with the performance of Brisbane Lord Mayor, Campbell Newman, and Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale.

"All three (Bligh, Newman and Pisasale) should be applauded on the way they conducted themselves during the flood,” said Paul Williams, a senior lecturer in politics at Brisbane's Griffith University and long-time leadership observer.

So, how did Bligh (now facing a fresh test in bracing Queensland for Cyclone Yasi), Newman and Pisasale display good crisis leadership? What lessons can be gleaned for leaders in other spheres, such as corporate Australia, who may face their own future crises? Is crisis management more than just good preparation?

Williams says there are four things that Bligh (as well as Newman and Pisasale) did well during the floods:

1. They created a sense of calm

Williams said the magnitude of the flood disaster was so big, it would have been easy for panic to set in; but the first thing the leaders did was to remain calm themselves, which helped reassure the public.

2. They led from the centre

Bligh was at the centre of the action. Williams says that is similar to the way New York Mayor, Rudy Guiliani, handled September 11: he was on the spot and lead from the centre. That contrasts strongly with George W. Bush's handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, where it was days before he even flew over the damaged area.

3. They showed great technical skill

Williams said Bligh and Newman displayed great grasp of detail, particularly strong geographical knowledge: Newman of the suburbs of Brisbane, and Bligh, the hamlets and villages around the Lockyer Valley. A critic would say, of course they knew because they were briefed by experts. "That's beside the point,” Williams said. "The fact is they got up in front of cameras and did it off the cuff.”

4. They displayed a sense of warmth and compassion

Perhaps, most importantly, Bligh showed empathy for her fellow Queenslanders. Her tears revealed personal distress at the damage done and lives affected. Williams said this helped show she was human, when before she had been criticised for being wooden and robotic. By contrast, Prime Minister Julia Gillard was less emotional, and therefore, appeared to lack empathy.

Most crisis experts agree that to deliver good leadership outcomes – as demonstrated by the likes of Bligh and Newman - during actual crises requires preparation: Queensland, for example, had a number of crisis management plans in place.

Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO of the New York-based Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management), also advocates preparation. She says there are a number of steps to establishing a crisis management strategy, including appointing a crisis management team, brainstorming possible crises and responses, designating spokespeople, etc.

But Hesselbein has also said that crisis management is a test of the quality and character of leadership, as much as it is a test of skill.

Bligh shone because aspects of her character that were lost in day-to-day politics, such as courage and empathy, were revealed. Williams says when people meet Bligh in person she is warm and affable. "But in an eight to 10 second television grab, all you see is a very stern-looking person,” he said. "We got to see a much more human side of Anna Bligh. The real Anna Bligh.”

Ultimately, Bligh's and others' handling of the floods reveals that while prevention, preparation and technical detail are vitally important, the 'X-factor' in crisis management is the character of leaders.