Leading Through Uncertainty: What I Learned from Launching COVID Response Centers in Korea

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, organizations across the world had to rapidly adapt. In South Korea, I was tasked with providing the digital infrastructure for the U.S. military’s COVID response at a major hospital. The mission? Establish quarantine barracks, testing sites, and treatment facilities—essentially from scratch—all while integrating medical data with Korean healthcare systems and ensuring compliance with two different regulatory frameworks.

We had to work fast. Within weeks, we stood up:

• 3 fully operational treatment centers
• 5 COVID-19 testing sites across South Korea
• 8 quarantine barracks to monitor thousands of U.S. personnel

The complexity was staggering. We were dealing with uncertain science, evolving medical protocols, logistical constraints, and a high-stakes public health crisis. Looking back, I can distill five key leadership lessons from this experience that apply to any high-pressure project—whether in the military, corporate world, or beyond.

1. Prioritize Execution Over Perfection

One of the biggest challenges was deciding how to expand our quarantine and treatment capacity. We faced a choice:

• Set up all facilities at once but risk inefficiencies and gaps in execution, or
• Fully complete one site at a time, ensuring each was 100% operational before moving to the next.

We went with the latter. The reality was that a single fully operational facility was more valuable than multiple half-functional ones. In a crisis, an 80% solution isn’t always good enough.

Lesson: In high-stakes projects, focus on getting one thing fully right before scaling up. Incomplete or poorly executed solutions can cause more harm than good.

2. Map the Process and Align Everyone to It

At the start, we were dealing with too many unknowns. What data was essential for risk analysis? Which medical resources were critical? How could we track and manage incoming personnel?

To bring order to the chaos, we mapped the entire workflow from the moment a person arrived in Korea:

1. Arrival & Testing
2. Quarantine Process
3. Medical Treatment (if needed)
4. Clearance & Return to Work

At each step, we identified exactly what was required—data, medical supplies, digital infrastructure—and aligned all teams around this roadmap.

Lesson: Even in fast-moving environments, take the time to map the process so teams stay aligned and can make better decisions on their own.

3. Adaptability is More Important Than a Perfect Plan

In the early days of COVID-19, medical knowledge changed almost weekly. New testing requirements, evolving quarantine procedures, and shifting government regulations meant that yesterday’s plan was often obsolete today.

We had to constantly reassess, adjust, and reallocate resources based on new information. There was no room for rigid thinking—we had to be flexible.

Lesson: Leaders must be willing to pivot quickly when conditions change. A great plan today means nothing if it can’t be adapted tomorrow.

4. Resourcefulness Beats Waiting for the Perfect Tools

We quickly exceeded the existing infrastructure in our quarantine and treatment centers. The network capacity, medical scanning capabilities, and digital integration simply weren’t built for this scale.

Instead of waiting for new equipment (which could take months), we pulled resources from other military units—borrowing, repurposing, and reallocating whatever we could to make things work now.

Lesson: In crisis situations, work with what you have. Don’t let resource constraints slow execution—find creative ways to get the job done.

5. Aligning Stakeholders Requires Understanding Their Priorities

One of the biggest hurdles was working with Korean medical IT departments. Their data privacy laws and regulatory concerns were vastly different from ours, and their sense of urgency wasn’t the same—South Korea had lower infection rates at the time, so our immediate concerns didn’t always align with theirs.

Instead of forcing compliance, we built relationships, found common ground, and worked toward mutual solutions.

Lesson: In cross-functional or multinational projects, don’t assume everyone shares the same priorities. Listen, align interests, and build partnerships instead of dictating solutions.

Final Thoughts

Leading a high-stakes project—whether in crisis response, business, or technology—requires more than just executing a plan. It requires the ability to adapt, prioritize execution, be resourceful, and align people across different perspectives.

The lessons from standing up these COVID response centers apply to any leader managing complexity and uncertainty. The question is: How prepared are you to lead when the pressure is on?

Let’s discuss in the comments—what’s the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned in a crisis?