Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for the Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and First Responders

Dangerous situations are environments where group members must routinely engage in events that place their physical and psychological well-being at risk to accomplish the organisation's objectives. International scholars and practitioners from the military, law enforcement, fire and rescue have teamed together to address the unique challenges facing dangerous context leaders. Each chapter integrates theory and research with practical experience to address the various challenges these leaders will face while operating in dangerous situations. The intent is to provide practitioners an easily understandable guide, backed by scholarly findings, to prepare themselves and their organisations for the unique psychological, social, and physical challenges of leading and operating in dangerous contexts, whether one is a young leader preparing for war, a seasoned commander with multiple combat tours, a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team leader, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) supervisor, first line supervisor of a law enforcement patrol unit, or a lieutenant responsible for a shift of firemen. The contributing authors delve into the psychological, social, and physical factors that can impact the ability to lead, the ability of personnel to perform, and the organisation's ability to accomplish the mission. In the end, the leader will take away not only a understanding of how leading in dangerous contexts is different than leading in contexts where lives are not on the line, but also gain a deeper understanding of why it differs, where commonalities occur, and, perhaps more importantly, how to prepare leaders, whether military or civilian to guide their first responder organisations to perform successfully in dangerous situations.