Lead from the Front.
The first paper I wrote about leadership came soon after I became department chief at a military medical center more than a decade ago. It was based two of John Keegan’s books, The Mask of Command and the Face of Battle; using Keegan’s “imperatives of leadership” in Henry’s famous speech before the Battle of Agincourt (October 25, 1415.) The immortal speech is found in Shakespeare’s Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3. And so the name of this site: HenryV4.3.
Warfare in the middle ages was brutal and direct comparison to the corporate or healthcare leadership world should be done with caution. Regardless, more than a decade after writing this article, the lessons from that famous Shakespeare passage still ring true. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t find myself thinking of a line from the play, as I dash off to visit the staff and patients on a ward or in a clinic: “The King himself has rode to view their battle.” Henry, as the leader in charge, took the time to go out and see how the enemy was deployed. He assessed the battle personally. And in so doing, he was seen by his troops as being directly connected to their challenges – sharing their risk, and their reason, while at the same time earning their respect.
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.”
Henry V 4.3 
Thanks to Chris Ledford who shared your blog with me after our session introducing our leadership curriculum earlier this week. Steve Bogdewic (Retired AIr Force and Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, Indiana Medical School) uses this speech as an example of a leader ‘changing the conversation’ and he has graciously given me permission to do the same in our work with the fellows.
From Westmoreland’s lines immediately preceding the King’s speech,
“O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!’
to the King’s,
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;”
It’s a remarkable display of the power of leadership.
Thank you Dr. Weir. We use the speech the same way in our leadership curriculum to introduce the idea of the “imperatives” of leadership, outlined by John Keegan in his book “The Mask of Command.” The goal is for our providers to see themselves as leaders and to think through the imperatives that apply to their current situation. If we can get these young men and women to see the importance of their role as leaders, and to understand that leadership requires them to have a range of tools and styles depending on the individuals and circumstances, we will have done a great deal to prepare them to help lead in the face of the challenges looming in American Medicine. Happy to be working with you toward the same goals! Chuck Callahan
I, too, come to your blog after being referred by Chris Ledford. The name of your blog is apt, and very relevant for the leaders we are training. Thank you for sharing this, and looking forward to following your blog.
Sharon Hull, MD MPH
http://www.mettasolutions.com
Thank you Dr. Hull. I look forward to what you are doing to develop those who will lead the changes that are ahead in American medicine. I spoke to a new medical student class last weekend and challenged them that three things about being a physician have never changed: we must teach, lead and serve. Thank you for joining this community and I look forward to your thoughts. Chuck Callahan