Editor’s Note: The following podcast is part of an ongoing series offering our strategic advice and expertise on what healthcare industry stakeholders should do immediately in response to the rapidly evolving novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In this exclusive extended version of the Oliver Wyman Health Podcast, we sit down with Gen. Nadja West, 44th US Army Surgeon General, former Commanding General of the US Army Medical Command, Joint Staff Surgeon during the 2014 Ebola crisis, and a Tenet Health board member.

Nadja chats with Sam Glick, Partner in Oliver Wyman’s Health & Life Sciences practice, about navigating teams through peril and uncertainty.

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Memorable Moments From This Episode:

• “Most of our military leaders will tell you one of the most important traits of a leader is empathy. You might not think army leaders believe an attribute like empathy is important, but they do. You must care about the soldiers you lead. If your people know you care about them, they will do their absolute best for you.”

• “Articulate the mission, care about your people, be transparent in your communication, give your people the resources they need, and be a good example yourself as an ethical leader.”

• “You have to love your soldiers as the people they are, first.”

• “The Army is very diverse. But we are all the same when we are wearing our uniforms with the American flag patch on our shoulder sleeves.”

• “There are two broad reasons why a person won’t do something. They don’t have the skill or the will.”

• “COVID-19 is uncovering disparities in the fatality rate amongst different demographics. We need high-quality care access for everyone.”