When Leaders Face Personal Crisis

Gill Robinson Hickman is Professor of Leadership Studies Emerita in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. Laura E. Knouse is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Richmond and a licensed clinical psychologist.

"Fills a gap in the leadership literature for both scholars and for leaders. Well-documented with practical and realistic advice – not a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all appraoch."- Barry Z. Posner, Professor, Leavy School of Business, Santa Clara University“In life you either learn from situations you experience personally or from those others have experienced. This book allowed me to better understand how I was able to cope with the loss of my wife and continue to prosper in my professional life. It’s an excellent guide to coping.” —Ray M. Robinson, Chairman, Citizens Trust Bank“Finally, there is a serious treatment of how leaders and organizations should respond during unfortunate but inevitable circumstances in the personal lives of those we entrust with responsibility. Hickman and Knouse’s work is a sensitive, careful, and original study of a neglected but important topic in leadership studies.”—Kenneth P. Ruscio, Senior Distinguished Lecturer, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond and President Emeritus, Washington and Lee University

• Introduction Personal crisis as a stressful life event Coping with crisis Deciding to disclose, asking for help The organization’s interpersonal environment Responsibility for leadership: adaptive approaches Toward a culture of reciprocal care: advice and recommendations Leaders in personal crisis: proposals for practice and researchAppendix A: Preliminary Study MethodsAppendix B: Study 1 Methods and Participant DescriptionAppendix C: Study 2 Methods, Participant Description, and Supplementary Tables