Either he's dead or my watch has stopped . . .

We’re in the middle of the H1N1 pandemic in Alberta right now and we are all feeling the consequences of poor leadership. Thousands of healthy people stood in line for a vaccine while the high risk population stood unprotected. Heck, even the Calgary Flames got to the front of the queue while children with cystic fibrosis stood in line outside in the cold rain for five hours to get their vaccine. While everyone questioned each other’s “take care of our own” approach, the real problem was a total lack of leadership. Without strong leadership, people tend to adopt the strategy of every man for himself.

After witnessing the chaos surrounding the first wave of vaccinations, one can only wonder what it would be like if the pandemic became such a crisis that Tamiflu becomes the hot commodity. You need to receive the medicine within 48 hours for it to be effective. I can only imagine the widespread panic and violence that would occur if the rolling out of the Tamiflu treatment is as disorganized as the rolling out of the vaccine prevention. Without strong leadership we’re only one mass crisis away from anarchy.

I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership lately and the vital role it plays in society. As a martial arts instructor I understand the value of leadership skills and I work hard at developing my school’s curriculum so that it reinforces this quality in my students. If we’re not producing strong leaders then we’re not maximizing our value to society.

“I don’t spend a lot of time studying stuff” - Ron Liepert, Alberta Minister of Health and Wellness.