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Abstract

Lessons learned from the impact of COVID-19 have significant implications on crisis management for those serving in the military. Leadership must bear the full brunt of directing subordinates while addressing the crisis at hand. So how do we learn from those volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) situations that arise with no notice? Even more so, those in leadership positions in military branches are instrumental as first responders coming to the national aid of their people. Females continue to enter nontraditional occupational roles, including joining the ranks of leadership in military organizations. This is true in the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) as an increasing number of women have not only joined the ranks of this navy defense force but have taken on leadership roles and progressed up the ranks (McPhee, 2021). Integration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides an additional context for understanding the needs of our female leaders. This research reflects the insights provided by present RBDF female leaders at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The structure of this inquiry provides a qualitative methodology, gleaned from twenty (20) female leaders through interviews of fourteen respondents and a focus group of six participants. The major research question demonstrates how the impact of COVID-19 for RBDF female leaders affected their leadership on the job and their overall work-life balance. Furthermore, the personal implications of leadership and decision making while achieving a military career during a global pandemic and maintaining family responsibilities illuminates a resilience that this research seeks to uncover. Participants represent female officers and enlisted rates. Lessons from the recent epidemic assist leaders in preparation for the next disaster to be ready for the ensuing challenges. The first responders and leaders who guided a small island nation toward survival with a future for its citizens provide valuable information resulting from this research. Cultivating leadership for a thriving future helps us become better prepared for the next unexpected crises that descends quickly and with no advanced notice. This research provides great insight from those who met these challenges as first responder female military leaders directing a small island nation towards survival and a future for its citizenry.

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