Healthcare Leadership in Times of Crisis

Leadership is never more important than during a time of crisis, as healthcare organizations everywhere learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article defines crisis as it applies to healthcare leadership and suggests the various kinds of crises healthcare organizations may face in the future. It explores the psychology of crisis leadership—specifically, what it means for a leader to hold and contain during a crisis. It also explains the difference between crisis leadership and crisis management, and how the two work together. This article then offers healthcare administrators, leaders, and managers 25 practical strategies they can use to prepare for and lead through a crisis. Among these strategies are bounded optimism, circular vision, and leading by example. Finally, this article describes four key behaviors that will help leaders manage a crisis, and suggests what leaders need to do once a crisis is under control or over.