Leadership in Pandemics

The COVID19 epidemic has thrown nations into complete chaos.  Fear and panic have gripped  the world. Many nations are struggling with the impact of large numbers of people falling ill and increasing numbers of new infections. Many nations are preparing for an eventuality of such a context, but struggling, not knowing what they should be doing since the current generation of leaders in the world has not faced such a pandemic before.

Health care Institutions and organizations are struggling with   questions of their own responses, and their staff safety. Institutions in the developing world, challenged with their resource constraints but with a desire to make a difference in such a context, are considering what they should do at this unprecedented time in the history of the world.

How should leaders respond at such a time as this? If we listen to the media reports, we hear stories of leaders denying the problem, other leaders giving into panic, yet others using the unfolding events for their personal and political positioning. Some others have been taking decisions that have no scientific validity.

As leaders of organizations and institutions, how will we respond? What will guide our responses?  Given below are a few thoughts to guide us as each of us are challenged to respond in such a time as this.

Do not give into panic

There is an overload of information going around in the news and social media, and there is an epidemic of fear. Institutions, organizations and states are in fear and panic and taking reactive decisions. Fearful of their own health and life, the impacts of such an unprecedented event in term of their institutions, economy and various other reasons.

We have been given a spirit of courage and wisdom. We are not to give into panic. We cannot be found panicking and taking reactive decisions that will impact the people and community around us adversely.  

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ”

Be logical, rational and evidence based

Panic must be replaced by a sound mind. A mind that considers the emerging and available evidence logically. Rationally looking at the numbers, the trends, the emerging evidence of how and what institutions and health care professionals should do, to effectively respond. The challenge at this point of time is that the evidence we have is too early in the day and evidence that is emerging may not be relevant to the context in some of our locations.

Innovate if we don’t have resources to follow evidence-based systems.

It is in such situations we need to be creative and innovative. God has given us his nature of creativity. There are many innovative solutions that we can come up with for setting up systems. Many are already being tried out by people, have been done during Ebola and SARS epidemic.

Think globally but act locally - understand what is happening across the world but find ways of implementing locally relevant solutions.

At the same time, we need to be constantly looking at the emerging context and evidence and be aware of the trends and patterns. This will help us to root our responses in the reality of the global scenario, but the responses will need to be adapted for the local context. We are called to be wise, rooted in the reality of our context and be relevant.

Be compassionate and protect the most vulnerable in our midst

We will need to protect ourselves and our colleagues, but our mandate is also to protect the vulnerable in our midst. It is important for us to reflect who are the most vulnerable and explore ways of preventing, mitigating the spread and caring for them if they need to be cared for.

Understand and help each other to understand that we are called to channels of hope in “such a time as this”

None of us in this generation has faced such a pandemic. But as we look back at history of pandemics and responses, we would understand that many in health care pioneered and responded with courage and compassion. We are part of such a legacy. We are kept in this generation to be channels of hope like our forefathers who left such a legacy for us.

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 

Have faith in God and try to reflect and learn what God is teaching us through this.

Amid this, hold on to the sovereignty of God. Bonhoeffer wrote from prison “Of course, not everything that happens is simply Gods will; yet in the last resort nothing happens ‘without Gods will’ , i.e., through every event, however untoward, there is an access to God.”

This is the God whom we trust in, one who uses every context for His greater purposes. Let us reflect, what is God doing through this and what is he teaching us through this unprecedented time in history.

Review and change things as we learn more, as new evidence emerges.

At the same time, cultivate an ongoing learning habit. Be willing to review, adapt and change as evidence and context emerges around us.

May God make us such leaders, who understood the times and know what to do.