Curious Minds at Work CM 291: Dan Dworkis on Leading in an Emergency
May 4, 2025
Dan Dworkis, an emergency room physician and professor of emergency medicine, shares his expertise on leadership during high-pressure situations. He discusses the essential mindset required to navigate emergencies, distinguishing between 'crisis natives' and 'crisis tourists.' Dworkis emphasizes the Stoic philosophy of embracing fate and personal stories to foster team resilience. He also explores strategies like pre-mortems for anticipating challenges and the importance of curiosity in team dynamics. Ultimately, he highlights accepting imperfection as a means to facilitate progress.
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Essence of Emergencies
- Emergencies are qualitatively different from bad days, characterized by pressure, uncertainty, impact, complexity, and liminality.
- Recognizing the emergency state helps leaders use distinct tools and strategies to operate effectively in crisis.
Find and Create Calm
- Experienced crisis teams identify and leverage moments of calm within chaos to recover and plan.
- Creating space by focusing on crucial decisions helps manage emergencies more effectively.
Philosophy Behind Emergency Mind
- Processing loss and suffering in emergency medicine requires philosophical reflection, often drawing on Stoic and Eastern thought.
- Accepting impermanence and imperfect control enables meaningful response.
