Trauma Staff Coaches Tar Heels On High-Stakes Leadership
October 31, 2014 | Leadership Academy
A recent field trip to UNC Hospitals gave members of the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy's Veteran Leaders program an in-depth look at leadership in high-pressure situations. The group of nearly 60 student-athlete captains and upperclass leaders got an up-close view of leadership with a tour of the Air Care helicopter on the helipad, and also participated in a panel discussion with members of the UNC trauma and critical care team - a well-respected group of professionals who certainly know what it takes to lead in high-pressure situations.
"Coaches and teammates are looking to the Veteran Leaders to lead their teams this season," said Shelley Johnson, director of the Leadership Academy. "For student-athletes, leadership in high-pressure situations will prove pivotal in close games, and final exams might even hinge upon it."
On Monday, though, the Tar Heels learned about leadership in actual life-or-death situations. During the panel discussion, Veteran Leaders heard from members of the trauma team about what it takes to lead in crisis situations and then participated in a question and answer session. The panel included medical director of trauma surgery Liz Dreesen, cardiac intensive care unit and mechanical heart program medical director Jason Katz and assistant professor of emergency medicine Mike Harrigan, along with nurse manager Kelly Revels.
Panelists shared their experiences about leadership development and leading a trauma team. For Dr. Katz, everything is a team sport in medicine, and he stressed to the group that it is important to love what you do.
"The love of the game is what drives me as a leader," said Katz.
Student-athletes asked questions of the panelists regarding everything from daily routines, delegating leadership, team-building advice, and their biggest challenges. The trauma team discussed the importance of communication and collaboration, and the practical applications of leadership in their daily work.
Differing viewpoints from the panelists were expressed, but Dr. Harrigan's advice on leaders keeping their emotions under control appeared to resonate most with the group of student-athlete leaders. According to Dr. Harrigan, if things aren't going well, it really shows.
"A team looks to the leader when things start going wrong," said Kelly Corish, a senior on the swimming & diving team. "It is up to them to maintain their cool no matter what is happening externally in order to refocus everyone working under them and keep their emotions in check."
Verneri Valimma, a senior on the men's soccer team, said the advice shared about a leader always being in control and having a good relationship with their team applies directly to athletic teams during competition.
This is the fourth visit to the hospital for the Veteran Leaders program, and once again proved to be an impactful experience for student-athletes.
"It was an honor to hear from these leaders and I hope to apply some of their advice in future competition and beyond," said Valimma.
Dr. Katz said that it was an honor for him to participate in this event, and that the academic and athletic talent that the Veteran Leaders brought to the room was inspiring for him.
"The student-athletes asked incredibly intelligent and thought-provoking questions, many of which I had never even considered before," said Katz. "Leaders are constantly looking for motivation, and nothing could have been more motivating to me than sharing my evening with such a passionate group of champions."
To end the night, the group of Veteran Leaders gathered on the helipad to look at the UNC Air Care helicopter and visit with the Air Care unit staff, and also got a bird's-eye view of the campus from the hospital roof.
Johnson, who organized the field trip, acknowledges that the visit continues to contribute significantly to the programming of the Leadership Academy.
"We are exceptionally fortunate that UNC has the resources it does and that those resources so generously share their warmth (Kelly), wit (Dr. Katz), wisdom (Dr. Dreesen), and good will (Dr. Harrigan) with our student-athletes," said Johnson.