In Extremis Leadership

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Key Characteristics of In Extremis Leaders— and How They Are Relevant in All Organizations

 

 

The key characteristics that in extremis leaders display are common among many types of good leaders. For example, competence, trust, and loyalty are leadership imperatives that span a variety of contexts. Nevertheless, when it comes to matters of life and death, leadership assumes a recognizable form: the in extremis pattern. This chapter explores this pattern and describes the key traits that comprise it, drawing on interviews with parachutists, SWAT teams, soldiers (both American and Iraqi), firefighters, and even a tiger hunter. We’ll take a look at what they have to say about what constitutes great leadership in high-risk situations, which often ...