Being a Leader Through a Humanitarian Crisis

Doesn’t it feel like everywhere you look, there’s another crisis happening in our world? Geopolitical issues, climate change, humanitarian situations — no matter the cause or outcome, it feels like there are always humans suffering. In 2020, an estimated 168 million people needed assistance and protection in the face of crises (and that was before factoring in the pandemic). In 2021, we’ve seen instances that require humanitarian intervention close to us (wildfires, hurricanes) and far (famine, government upheaval). What can we do to help?

Before we answer the question above, we probably should have started with saying that all leaders are called to do something during a crisis. The very essence of being a leader (motivating those around you to improve the common good) calls us to respond in some way when others are hurting, suffering, or are needing assistance. HOW we respond may change based on our level of involvement, distance, and ability, but IF we respond should never be in question.

So, what’s to be done?

1. Center those in need.

we must use the leadership qualities of imagination and empathy to first place ourselves at the center of the crisis. Empathic listening and understanding other’s thoughts and feelings are paramount to starting the work of leading in a crisis. Face and statements have to have empathy and clarity and be void of false promises and platitudes. To achieve this, we have to really place ourselves as someone who possibly was at the center of a situation or incident. If we imagine how it might feel to go through a particular crisis, we may have a better idea of how to respond.

2. Gain perspective on your involvement.

For this, we recommend using the Ring Theory to help frame your involvement. This theory talks about putting those most affected at the crisis in the center of a circle and using rings to show those secondarily and thirdly affected (and so on). Wherever you land, you should show comfort to those inside the circles from you (Comfort IN), and receive comfort from those on the circles outside of you (Dump OUT). This way, everyone receives appropriate care for their level of grief from a crisis.

• Side note: The Ring Theory also works great for a crisis that may be smaller in scale but still impactful to a group of people, like a death in the family.

3. Decide the best way to respond.

Your time, money, and/or exposure may all be valuable, but it’s important to figure out the best way to respond that both centers those in need and also understands your specific instance. We recommend that you look to partners on campus who can help you determine the best course of action and point you in the right direction, like the Community Engagement Center.

Humanitarian assistance groups agree that the best way to help is to make a monetary donation to a reputable organization. This allows the group to make the choice of how to best spend the money to get aid to those affected. Make sure you are doing some research on finding the correct reputable organization (use something like The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance or Charity Navigator).

You may not have much money to contribute to causes, which is totally understandable (no one expects a person to go broke trying to help out others). Because of that, it might be that you could donate your time by volunteering for a few hours. That may come with limitations (if you’re located across the world from a crisis, there’s only so much you can do), but you may be surprised at how much may need to be done. For example, as the US occupation of Afghanistan ended earlier this summer, volunteers in Sacramento were needed to welcome refugees at our airport and acclimate them to life in our city. That takes no money in your part but could have a big impact to those most affected.

The third option may be exposure. This could come with you sharing information with others about the humanitarian crisis in question and encouraging them to action. This may look like joining in protests or vigils or sharing information through social media accounts. The idea of “clicktivism” can be divided, even as studies have found that sharing posts on social media can have a positive impact in bringing about social change. It might be best to complement social media posting with another action (volunteering, money, or in-person actions, when possible).

4. Don’t recreate the wheel.

Leaders who are used to problem solving and acting quickly may want to suddenly create a whole new avenue for assistance or exposure during a crisis. As Ashley C. Ford so eloquently put it, “Find the people already doing the work, and support them.” What may be surprising to us is how many people (volunteers or otherwise) are already doing humanitarian work across the globe. When a crisis hits, their presence (already being on the ground, knowing the community, and having built trust with local people) is critical to support.

What are some ways you’ve been involved with humanitarian crises in the past? What other ideas do you have for getting involved?