Leadership is an extremely important important quality needed to manage a group during an emergency situation. This can come from formal leaders such as teachers or expedition leaders or from others within the group who emerge due to their skills, understanding or personalities. Some of the qualities of an effective leader include:
- Knowledge- To be recognised as a leader in Outdoor Education, qualifications must be gained to ensure their suitability. This includes knowledge of the activity they are leading but also in dealing with emergency situations. However, in any group, individuals also bring with them a wide range of skills and experiences that can enable them to step and lead in different situations.
- Decisiveness: In emergency situations, there is often little time for hesitation or indecisiveness. Effective leaders make decisions quickly and confidently, based on the information available to them.
- Emotional Intelligence: Effective leaders have strong emotional intelligence, which means that they are able to understand and manage their own emotions and the emotions of others. They are able to remain calm and composed under pressure, and they are able to communicate with empathy and compassion.
- Resilience: Effective leaders are able to maintain a positive attitude and a sense of resilience in the face of adversity. They inspire and motivate their team members to stay focused on the task at hand and to work together to achieve their goals.