We were at Zeche Zollverein all day. It used to be the biggest coal refinery in Europe, serving the steel makers of the Ruhr. We were at the center where the coal came up and was treated , where all the mine shafts meet from entrances all around the focal point , many of them miles away.

Apparently you never say “Goodbye” in this region, you only say “Gluck Auf” meaning “come back up safely”. As we approach the end of a very tough and successful (through very hard hard work from all) year like so many others, I think maybe I will use “Gluck Auf” more often!

Good crisis management is a part of good leadership. I don’t think you can have one without the other – and I think in that sense, leadership has two halves.

Crisis management is half the game. You need to be a leader to manage a crisis – just try a crisis without leadership and you will see what I mean.

The textbook definition is that crisis management is a strategic and tactical response to a specific situation. But really, it’s about courage. It’s the courage to make incomplete decisions at speed. It’s having the stamina to keep going, to at least appear to keep a cool head under fire, to make fine-line calls rather than clear decisions and to stay the course irrespective of the harsh judgements. And they will be harsh.

Crisis management is no mean feat. It’s a tough job, and you need to be a good leader to get it done – let alone to get it done well. It’s still only one half of the job of a leader – no matter how admirable it is.

The better leader you are, the better prepared your team is for a crisis. In fact, sometimes the true test of leadership is the quiet times – when there isn’t the adrenaline but you still have to have the drive to build something dynamic, robust and crisis proof. This is the second half of the leadership equation.

Painting a picture for the future sounds fabulously positive and indulgent. I’ve often heard cynics say that anyone can be a visionary. I really don’t think that’s true. It’s quite frightening to take on the responsibility for building vision – but you absolutely cannot lead without it.

I was always taught to keep my eyes on the hills and my feet on the ground. In a crisis, too many leaders do neither, and some only keep their feet on the ground…but they take their eyes off the hills.

Right now I appreciate that keeping your feet on the ground is essential, and it’s hard work. I’m just urging you to look up once in a while.

If you are keen to see what 12 UK leaders have to say on what they learned about leadership in 2009, what the challenges are now and opportunities going forward, watch our latest film on YouTube. You can also access these on the Common Purpose website.