Nothing tests a leader like a crisis. The highly charged, dramatic eventssurrounding a crisis profoundly affect the people in an organization and caneven threaten the organization's survival. But there are actions a leadercan take before, during, and after a crisis to effectively reduce theduration and impact of these extremely difficult situations. At its center,effective crisis leadership is comprised of three things--communication,clarity of vision and values, and caring relationships. Leaders who develop,pay attention to, and practice these qualities go a long way toward handlingthe human dimension of a crisis. In the end, it's all about the people.