Queen Elizabeth II in a speech delivered on November 24, 1992, marking the 40th year of her accession to the British throne, described 1992 as an annus horribilis.1 A Latin phrase meaning horrible year, annus horribilis, may very well be an apt name for the year 2020. In November 2020, as this editorial is written, the world continues to face a novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the availability of a promising vaccine in the horizon,2 glaring headlines3 warn of a COVID-19 third surge since the pandemic first surfaced in Wuhan, China, 1 year earlier.4 To date, COVID-19 has claimed 1.37 million lives across the globe and infected 57.8 million people.5 In the United States of America alone, almost 12 million cases and 255,000 deaths have been reported5 despite continued Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice to wear masks, follow social distancing guidelines, and refrain from high risk behaviors.6
As healthcare leaders focused on quality and continuous improvement, staying positive during obviously challenging times allows us to see possibilities and find hope and opportunity for the future. Thus, the purpose of this editorial is to identify leadership lessons reinforced from COVID-19 as a means to guide a path forward.
This editorial identifies five leadership lessons from COVID-19. The lessons center on leadership actions, employee engagement, preparation for the long haul, and the need for innovation and adaptability.
Put the mission first. In the face of crisis, leaders must put in place policies and procedures to protect the core business and its mission. In the healthcare field, the mission is usually about concern for patients, families, employees, the organization, and the community served. Protecting the mission in the COVID-19 pandemic has meant developing aptitude for creating timely and quickly modifiable business continuity plans, mounting longstanding centralized command centers, and stabilizing the organization to weather unpredictable circumstances while simultaneously finding new opportunities. One prominent demonstration of mission first has been the determination of healthcare professionals to care for patients with a little understood diagnosis all the while learning how to manage the new disease.
Learn the power of the pivot. The term "pivot" refers to the ability to move and redirect strategy quickly.7 Faced with crisis, leaders must move rapidly to position their organizations to withstand oncoming threat and emerge stronger as a result. Pivoting amidst crisis is not business as usual but rather involves redeploying resources human and otherwise to allow for just-in-time adaptability. Evidence suggests that organizations that have pivoted quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic have fared better than others.8 One example of the benefit of pivoting in leadership has been the mobilization of telehealth technologies. Not widely deployed before the pandemic, telehealth has addressed a care access need with unprecedented acceptance.
Communicate, communicate, and communicate. When faced with the challenges of crises, leaders must communicate honestly and frequently to help others understand current and future circumstances. When leaders think they have already communicated enough, they should communicate even more using full transparency and humanity to build needed trust. More than ever before, the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the COVID pandemic have brought to the fore the need for leaders to speak truth, show courage, admit when they do not know, and take risks navigating the unknown.
Keep your people whole. In the midst of crises, it is important for leaders to concern themselves not only with the viability of their businesses, but also with the long-term safety and well-being of their employees. Keeping employees protected, engaged, and resilient throughout a crisis builds loyalty and trust that reaps benefits for the long haul. Lingering COVID-19 fatigue is real and increasing reports of employee burnout are reason for empathy and needed attention.
Adjust to a new normal. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic promises a new reality suggesting we must adjust to a new normal. To embrace a promising future, leaders must stay focused on what is ahead, anticipate new business models, and engage in innovation for the future. That a new and different crisis will emerge is a given, and leaders must be prepared to navigate that situation having learned from the current pandemic.
Effective leadership often evolves from weathering crises. Using the lessons provided to move us forward toward a better place may even position us for a future annus mirabilis,9 the opposite of an annus horribilis. May the year 2021 be a better one for us all.
Author's Biography
Maria R. Shirey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Associate Dean, Clinical and Global Partnerships, Jane H. Brock-Florence Nightingale Endowed Professor of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.
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