Ten Leadership Principles from the Military
Core military leadership principles associated with success during wartime have previously translated to success in the civilian business and healthcare sectors. A review of these principles may be particularly valuable during times of increased and sustained stress in the intensive care unit. In this perspective paper, we provide an overview of 10 of these principles categorized under the following three essential truths: 1) planning is crucial, but adaptability wins the day; 2) take care of your people, and your people will take care of everything else; and 3) communication is the key to success.
Drs. Jessica Bunin, Kevin Chung, and Cristin Mount argue that ten military leadership principles translate directly to critical care, especially during crisis conditions like COVID-19. They organize the principles under three truths: planning matters, but adaptability wins the day; take care of your people, and they will take care of everything else; and communication is the key to success. Under those truths, they cover being an adaptive leader, team readiness, psychological safety, burnout and resilience, coaching and mentoring, delegation, sharing goals, starting with why, feedback, and conflict resolution. Each principle comes with a real clinical phrase, showing exactly what a physician might say on rounds. The authors close by framing these as skills to practice now, in ordinary times, so they hold up when a true crisis arrives.