The leadership principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and their relevance to surgery

• Published in: Journal of the National Medical Association Vol. 99; no. 1; pp. 7 - 14
• Main Authors: BRUNICARDI, F. Charles, COTTON, Ronald T, COLE, George W, MARTINEZ, George
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thorofare, NJ Slack 2007; Elsevier Limited; National Medical Association
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Civil Rights - history; Famous Persons; General aspects; General Surgery - organization & administration; History, 20th Century; King; Leadership; Martin Luther King Jr; Medical sciences; United States; United States; Relevance; Treatment; Education; Conflict resolution; Surgery; leadership; Tropical medicine; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr; Recommendation; Teaching
• ISSN: 0027-9684; 1943-4693

In order to face the challenges in healthcare this century, it is essential that surgeons understand modern leadership principles. One of the greatest leaders in history was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who provides a shining example of level-5 leadership for us to study. The study of leadership principles of great leaders can provide us with practical methods of conflict resolution as well as inspiration to keep us engaged and focused. As leaders of the medical community, we face numerous challenges, including discovering and implementing new treatments for disease, providing care for the indigent, overcoming educational challenges such as incorporating the ACGME Core Competencies into our surgical training and promoting diversity in education. Achieving these goals is often hindered by the environment in which we labor-nearly 50 million are uninsured, the rising cost of medical care is currently at 16% of the GNP, and reimbursement rates are falling-which makes the practice of surgery a significant challenge. Effective leadership will be paramount in achieving these goals. In this editorial, which summarizes a presentation given to the Surgical Section of the annual National Medical Association meeting, five important leadership principles that are important for surgeons have been selected and related to the outstanding leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.