Leadership During a Crisis

Suffice it to say, the world is in a crisis. In America, our health systems are experiencing a crisis. Leadership is critical for not only you but your staff and patients. To help you lead effectively, follow these suggestions as you navigate these tricky waters. Strong leadership depends on clear decision-making skills. One thing I lean on is my aviation training. The methodology has helped analyze situations and make good decisions not only as I fly my plane, but as I work in the clinical setting.

  1. Determine the situation. Try to figure out what’s going on. What is the current situation? What has happened? How bad is it? What are the risks we face as a result of the situation? In the airplane, it might be we just lost an engine, or our radios stopped working. In my clinical setting, it might be the patient is suddenly hypotensive or their peak airway pressures are elevated, and it’s becoming challenging to oxygenate the patient.
  2. Understand the hazards and risks. It’s essential to understand the difference between hazards and risks. Hazards are real, perceived, or pending conditions, events, or circumstances that might not go so well. Being unable to intubate a very large patient after inducing anesthesia is a genuine hazard. Risk is something different. It’s the potential probability of the hazard and its effect if the hazard occurs. As we grow in our clinical careers, our perception of hazards changes. Knowledge and experience will change your definition of hazards. Newly minted med students, and leaders, might see hazards everywhere. However, with experience and expertise, those hazards might not amount too much risk.
  3. Take action promptly, but don’t rush haphazardly. Speedy action is needed after you’ve determined the situation, but rash action taken in haste might do more harm than good. There are three parts required to take action promptly - controlled thinking, situational awareness, and experience, and knowledge.

    Controlled thinking. This is easier in times of lower stress. When we are in highly stressful situations, it becomes harder to have controlled thinking. With training, we can adequately react with proper pattern recognition. In times of less stress, we can use rules and knowledge to help guide our thinking. To be a strong leader, you must practice and prepare daily.

    Situational awareness. We must perceive our environment and the situation, understand it, and think ahead. Situational awareness is what moves us from planned action to anticipated results.

    Experience and knowledge. Sometimes as a leader, you will be in situations that you have never experience, such as the current crisis. To lead during these times, draw upon your experience and knowledge. It’s hard to train for events such as this, but you can still be an excellent leader by applying your experience and expertise.

  4. Work to manage expectations. As you lead, you will want to help those you lead form and manage their expectations. Always tell the truth. Be honest about the severity of the situation, how long it will last, and what the probable outcomes will be. Don’t sugar-coat it, but don’t falsely elevate their hopes either. Share your objective views. Don’t be afraid to share your personal feelings, but reinforce what you believe will happen.
  5. Maintain control over your emotions. Leaders obviously have emotions, but they control them. They do not allow their emotions to control them. It’s okay to feel fear, worry, and doubt. If you didn’t, you’re probably not human. However, as a leader, you control these emotions and temper their effect on your thinking. Remember, fear is contagious. If you show fear, those you lead will pick up on it and begin to feel it too. Stay positive, but remain realistic.
  6. Stay open to changing course. As the situation evolves, recognize the need for new decisions. This is where excellent situational awareness skills come into play. Always go back and see if your planned actions are yielding the expected results. If not, reassess and change plans if needed.
  7. Keep a growth mindset. Mindset is how we think and feel about a person, place, or situation. It can be positive or negative, a fixed or growth. In times of crisis, it’s easy for the fixed mindset to creep up. A growth mindset is what is needed to innovate and find those undiscovered solutions in a crisis. A growth mindset holds we can beat this crisis and come out the other side with newfound knowledge and be better for it. Remember, how we view things is how we do things.

I expect a significant number of leaders will be identified as we navigate these waters. It’s easy to lead when the seas are smooth, but great sailors will get you to the destination when the seas are rough. Apply the information I’ve outlined here and you’ll be able to guide your team through these rough waters.

Check out my books!

The Financially Intelligent Physician & Great Care, Every Patient are available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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