On the Frontlines of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Crisis—The Many Faces of Leadership

Don’t follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail!

Ralph Waldo Emerson

During this past month as a patient-facing, frontlines “soldier” during the apex of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis at a tertiary academic medical center in New York City, New York, I learned a lot about leadership. As physicians, we find ourselves in leadership roles every day irrespective of seniority or proximity to medical school graduation. Whether it is leading a goals-of-care discussion as a freshly minted intern, leading a large clinical team as an experienced attending physician, or developing administrative strategies as a department chairperson, a substantial component of what we do every day involves leadership.