Leading in a pandemic: Refections and a path forward

Leadership is a critical dimension of any enterprise, but during a pandemic everything is turned upside down and often the path is unclear and uncertain. In addition to keeping the train on tracks and achieving business continuity, there is a need to take care of the team. Although there is much discussion on the management of disasters and crises, a pandemic has a unique phenotype and often its own rhythm and tempo exacting a cost on all. At the time of writing, the world is entering the third year of the pandemic. We have endured waves, experienced variants and observed death, disability and suffering. Pressures on all individuals have been marked, and we have observed examples of both good leadership and bad leadership. We are honoured and humbled to share with you our story in this chapter. We hope collectively we can future-proof our healthcare system so that we monitor, control and contain future infectious diseases. We honour the lives that have been lost, many needlessly as we were not prepared and resourced to deal with the pandemic. Lessons in leadership will help us deal with future foes and make sure we are better prepared next time.