The Great American Leadership Pivot

During this fast-moving COVID-19 pandemic, organizations are faced with a unique set of challenges summed up in one word: uncertainty.

Navigating these uncertain waters requires leaders to be nimble and deliver on their mission in innovative ways while envisioning a new normal on the other side. Although surrounded by serious health and economic implications, I’m empowered by seeing the best in humanity come forward – people stepping up to address urgent needs.

Urgency Shapes Mission

“We’re open for business because we have urgent problems to solve,” we told employees during a recent webcast. Millions of people are counting on us for science-based guidance, research that gets to the core of big unanswered questions, resources for the front lines, community programs and patient support.

During the early stages of the pandemic, the American Heart Association activated a virtual ‘command center,’ bringing together staff and volunteers representing diversity of thought from across our organization. Through the uncertainty, we rapidly pivoted our resources to deliver existing programs in novel ways, launch new research and health care initiatives, and develop innovative ways to conduct business.

It’s incredibly powerful to see the collective influence of 40 million AHA volunteers, supporters, staff and communities coming together with relentless commitment to provide a rapid response, including:

• Investing $14 million for a new Health Technologies and Innovation Strategically Focused Research Network, with special projects for COVID-19.
• Awarding $2.5 million in rapid response grants to better understand how to prevent, diagnose and clinically manage COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
• Launching a COVID-19 standalone data registry powered by Get With the Guidelines? to aggregate data and help scientists and researchers find answers to treatments and risk factors linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Today 46 hospitals, including 12 academic medical centers, have begun collecting data, with dozens more across the globe signing on in the coming weeks
• Unveiling the AHA Beneficial Business Exchange, a self-service virtual community to match goods, services and solutions with urgent, short-term needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
• Providing training and tools on oxygenation and ventilation of COVID-19 patients to support overwhelmed intensive care units.
• Giving consumers and businesses new resources to stay healthy and active, especially as they work from home, including Move More workouts and resources.
• Supporting parents and teachers with Kick Cabin Fever to the Curb 10-day Challenge, a virtual program to keep kids active at home. More than 5,000 schools have already signed up.
• Advocating for federal, state and local policies to ensure families have access to care and can protect their own health in the face of COVID-19. This includes supporting key aspects of the CARES Act, protecting the non-profit sector in funding bills, advocating for a special ACA enrollment period, calling for adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and protecting the next generation of physicians.

Guided by Values

While there’s no denying the complexity of managing through crisis, leaders can find clarity by testing every decision against touchstones that define their culture.

I’m honored to lead an organization where our Guiding Values anchor everything we do, especially during the uncertainty #COVID19 has brought to our world. Every day our staff and volunteers, many of whom are on the front lines of this pandemic, demonstrate real humanity and prioritize the people who are counting on us most.

One of our Guiding Values, Ensuring Health Equity for All, hits home for people with underlying health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and a history of stroke, who are at higher risk for contracting and experiencing complications of COVID-19. Many of these conditions affect communities such as blacks and Latinos at higher rates. This pandemic has shined a bright light on health care disparities, a subject I’ll cover in detail in an upcoming article.

Putting People First

“What companies do for their people during a crisis is a true test of whether the values they tout are real,” said Jill Shabelman, highlighting examples of aligning actions with company values.

Since early March, my leadership team has met weekly with our 3,300 employees via live webcasts to provide updates, insight and encouragement. I appreciate the authenticity of our Chief Operating Officer, Suzie Upton, as she summed up how many are feeling by quoting John Wayne, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”

Our communication plan also includes bi-weekly emails from the executive team, special #coronavirus updates in my e-newsletter, and resource centers with rich, relevant and continuously refreshed content that helps people manage their physical and mental health. As part of our benefits package, we encourage our people to utilize telemedicine and Employee Assistance Programs, programs that we’ve touted long before this pandemic took hold.

Our Guiding Value, Meeting People Where They Are, inspired AHA staff to quickly stand up two new Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) within days after the work from home plan was put in place. The #WithMe ERG supports the interpersonal needs of those without kids at home, building new social networks while we’re physically distancing. Parents@Heart unites parents with children at home who are balancing kids and work responsibilities. During Kids@AHA Day last week, hundreds of kids – from preschoolers to college bound – participated in 30+ activities including a Lego challenge, story time, CPR demonstrations and learning about careers in medicine.  

Envisioning Tomorrow

During almost 100 years of leadership — through seismic shifts in global society — the American Heart Association is stronger and more united with the support of dedicated staff, volunteers and supporters, the heartbeat of our organization who give me inspiration every day.

Will we ever be the same on the other side of this pandemic? I hope not. I believe we’ll emerge transformed, discovering brand new ways to relentlessly tackle the challenges of tomorrow.  

Nancy Brown has been CEO of the American Heart Association since 2008.