The COVID-19 pandemic brought added complexities for global organizations, managing uncertainty, dealing with rapid changes, and motivating people in a crisis. In what follows, we analyze how Netflix, Peloton, and Zoom used dynamic capabilities, contingency theory, and transformational leadership to redefine crisis leadership and turn disruption into growth. These organizations, employing effective leadership, innovative pivots, and strategic investments, managed to not just survive but thrive during the pandemic. In other cases, AMC Theatres, JCPenney, and Neiman Marcus did not adapt and struggled during the pandemic, demonstrating an acute absence of contextually tailored leadership strategies. The analysis highlighted agility, relational emphasis, and aligned visionary leadership within partnering organizations. This analysis builds those perspectives into rich actionable implications for theory and practice, warning about future leaders who lack the academic depth, yet the flexibility of approach needed in times of crisis.  

Crisis leadership, dynamic capabilities, transformational leadership

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