Emergency Management Top 10 Competencies

Context: Success and failure of any organizations or professions rises and falls on the leadership. Thus, the need for good leadership remains critical for organizations’ efficiency and growth. Leadership and team-building are essential and is the key to the success of organizations or professions. Emergency management leaders should judiciously use leadership, effectively and productively to influence people in all phases of disaster management (FEMA, 2005). The list provides a guideline to top-ten competencies that make up professional emergency management.

Analysis: Among the top ten competencies for professional emergency management as identified by Blanchard (2005) is leadership and team-building which could be seen as the second most important especially in the field of emergency management. Indeed, where good leadership and team-building is lacking, people suffers. Leadership is defined as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2013, p. 5). Meanwhile, good team-building enhances teamwork competencies which in turn support interdependent tasks and therefore the performance of the team in emergency management (Hayes &

In emergency management, good participatory leadership is of essence. This is because the absence of the participatory leadership can lead to discouragement for the followers which consequently jeopardizes the vision, mission and the values of the profession/organization. Leadership that has no values and/or fail to value the followers cannot contribute positively to the organization. To move emergency management from point A to point B calls for transformational and participative leaders who have the interest and passion to enhance the values, cultures, and the followers et