What does it take to steer a team through uncharted territory when the stakes are nothing less than life and death? Dr. Erin Coakley had to answer that question in the spring of 2020. Overnight, her hospital transformed into a battleground against an invisible enemy. Without warning, she was asked to lead her hospitalist program—a role she hadn’t sought but couldn’t refuse. In her latest book, Leading By Example During a Crisis, she brings readers into that pivotal moment and demonstrates how effective leadership is forged not in classrooms but in the crucible of crisis.
Rather than retreat behind a desk, Dr. Coakley chose to lead from the front. She rounded on patients herself, meticulously documented their severity of illness, and organized short daily conference calls to keep doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and administrators aligned. She prioritized transparency and fairness, fostering a culture where accountability replaced blame. Her approach embodied a central principle that runs through her trilogy: leadership is not just about issuing orders from a distance but about being present, listening, and communicating clearly.
These initial decisions set the tone not just for her team but for readers. In a world where crises can upend business and society overnight, Dr. Coakley’s lessons may resonate far beyond healthcare. She shows how modelling the behaviours you expect from your team, providing context behind decisions, and showing genuine care for people’s concerns can transform fear into focus. By inviting stakeholders into the conversation—through those brief, focused conference calls—she created space for others to voice concerns, ask questions, and feel part of a shared mission. It’s the kind of leadership every modern change-maker could learn from.
The earlier books in the trilogy deepen this framework. Heartbeats & Homecomings: A Doctor’s Pandemic Experience, the first volume, captures the raw, chaotic early days of the pandemic when hospital corridors were eerily quiet, personal protective equipment muffled voices, and eye contact became the only way to convey concern. Dr. Coakley describes how she and her colleagues became surrogate families for patients isolated from loved ones. These experiences underscore that empathy is foundational to leadership; without trust and human connection, even the best logistical plans may falter.
The second volume, Empathy in Crisis: How Compassion Transformed Care During Covid-19, illustrates that leaders must nurture emotional well-being in addition to managing logistics. Dr. Coakley argues that patients heal better when they feel understood and valued. She offers practical guidance on how to engage in meaningful interactions, respect cultural differences, and support colleagues’ growth. The book highlights how nurses and physicians quickly learned new skills to meet unprecedented demands, demonstrating that effective leadership often involves empowering others to step into new roles.
For professionals seeking a playbook on crisis management and transformative leadership, this trilogy provides real-world insights. It shows how clear communication, empathy, and shared purpose can align teams during uncertainty. Dr. Coakley’s experiences remind us that leadership isn’t just about titles—it’s about showing up, listening, and inspiring collective resilience. Whether you oversee a corporate team, lead a classroom, or manage a household, you’ll find lessons in her journey that can help you guide others through the unknown.
