Leadership is learned, earned, and discerned.
You develop it.
It’s based on trust and credibility.
Others see it in you.
You can’t demand it.
~ Rick Warren
To earn trust in a time of crisis, it is incumbent upon leaders to:
calmly meet with concerned citizens
allow the media to hold the government accountable
rely on credible information
help diminish fear
communicate respectfully and
seek common ground.
Let me make it clear that I recognize the magnitude of the challenge our leaders have faced over the last couple of years. It has been an exceptional test of leadership skills and ability.
Dr. Martha Fulford, a trusted health expert who encourages debate, discussion, informed consent and the validation of experiences of harm from ill-informed public health directives, ends her presentation in Let Kids Be Kids with the following BMJ quote:
As an extraordinary period in which social life was upturned, the covid-19 pandemic will be over when we turn off our screens and decide that other issues are once again worthy of our attention. Unlike its beginning, the end of the pandemic will not be televised.
~ David Robertson and Peter Doshi
The media moulds public opinion
As the pandemic comes to an end I have spent an unprecedented amount of time scanning media headlines to gauge movement away from the one-sided narrative. What we are witnessing is history in the making. Unless we remember accurately, we risk having history repeat itself.
Historically, Canadians have had the privilege of trusting the media, the government and healthcare. It is not surprising that we have some of the highest inoculation rates in the world.
The effort made by the Trusted News Initiative to help reduce hesitancy for immunizing injections has come close to achieving its outcome in Canada - a needle, or several, in every arm.
But apparently, our federal leader will not be happy unless 100% of the population comply, even though the current data no longer supports his view.
While countries like the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Britain, most of the United States and Canadian provinces are lifting restrictions, our federal leader has doubled down on mandates within his control and has invoked emergency powers to seek an end to protests.
Common sense dictates that it is time to move beyond the one experimental treatment that fails to prevent infection and transmission. As public health leaders are telling us, we now have to learn to live with the virus. It's become endemic like influenza. We need to protect the vulnerable and leave the healthy alone.
Some history
In March 2015, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened a workshop in Washington, DC.
The purpose was to figure out how to provide rapidly and apply medical countermeasures for new and emerging threats to population health.
Part of the discussion revolved around business models that enhance stakeholder interest and investment in ongoing medical interventions.
Peter Daszak, President of EcoHealth Alliance, stated (and I paraphrase) that until an infectious disease crisis becomes blatantly obvious, a clear emergency, it is largely ignored.
He said that to sustain the funding base beyond the crisis we need to persuade the public of the need for medical interventions such as pan-influenza or pan-coronavirus injections.
According to Daszak, a "key driver is the media, and the economics follow the hype. We need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issues. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process", he added. [Emphasis mine]
Failure to report adverse health effects
I observed a clear example of what appears to be censorship to reduce hesitancy at the virtual Toronto Board of Health Meeting that took place on January 17th, 2022.
Dan Hartman shared the heartbreaking story of the death of his previously healthy 17-year-old son, Sean.
He just wanted to play hockey. To do so, Sean consented to his first shot on August 25th, 2021. Four days later, he was in the hospital with an adverse reaction.
He was sent home with a prescription for Advil. A month later, he died. The coroner’s report stated the cause of death was un-ascertained.
Sadly, when I went back to re-visit the story, Dan Hartman’s deputation had been cut from the proceedings. I don’t know why. Till then I had never experienced censorship in a government forum.
But such adverse reactions are not widely shared in mainstream media, lest they interfere with the guidelines for ongoing medical directives.
If the media had reported the stories of those who suffered adverse effects, fewer would have consented to the experimental treatment.
Check here and here for adverse health events submitted in the US and Canada. Keep in mind that in a passive surveillance system underreporting is common.
People become angry and resentful when they find out they were not granted the opportunity to make an informed decision. Forcing people to comply is bound to lead to protests in a democratic country.
It is prudent to check the product monograph before subjecting oneself to any medical intervention, especially one that has been rushed to market.
Closing thoughts
Hurt people hurt people.
~ Charles Eads
This week there have been surprising glimmers of hope. The end of the pandemic is here.
The success is partially attributed to Mother Nature stepping in for us, enhancing herd immunity via the latest variant.
Sadly, our federal leader refuses to move on. Leaders lead by example. What we have seen from him lately is institutionalized bullying. He must be hurting.
The leadership training that some world leaders have undertaken is not servicing us well.
Rather than divide to conquer, leaders must seek to unite people by finding common ground. Hateful comments attract hateful reactions.
Finding another reason to discriminate about who should be free to travel is now more about control than health.
Leading from a place of genuine concern and compassion will save the day.
We need independent investigative journalism with trustworthy coverage featuring the views of proponents and opponents of any health-related policy change. Debate is healthy.
Trustworthy information must be accessible to facilitate making informed decisions.
Above all else, we need to go back to having the media hold leaders accountable.
It's a lot of effort to maintain a lie. The truth eventually becomes apparent.
Transparency is key.
Trust is earned.
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