A look at the style of Dr. Amy Acton, who has earned praise for her daily briefings on the pandemic.
A look at the style of Dr. Amy Acton, who has earned praise for her daily briefings on the pandemic.
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transcript
The Leader We Wish We All Had
A look at the style of Dr. Amy Acton, who has earned praise for her daily briefings on the pandemic.
“This is no small thing that we are doing together. It is so incredibly hard to have shut down our lives the way we have. I am absolutely certain you will look back and know that you helped save each other.” This is Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health. Trademark lab coat, emphatic hand gestures, and a knack for metaphors. “It’s like Swiss cheese. So I want you to picture a hurricane. When you have a fire on your stove and you have your kitchen extinguisher, you’ll want to get it quick.” You may not have seen her press briefings. But in Ohio, they’ve become a daily ritual, catapulting her from unknown local official to cult icon. “Hi, my name is Amy Acton. Any questions?” “Dr. Amy is going to help us fight out the coronavirus.” In her youth, Dr. Acton overcame neglect and homelessness on her way to being crowned homecoming queen. And last year, she became the first doctor appointed to run Ohio’s health department. Under her, Ohio has become a leader in responding to Covid. It declared a state of emergency with just three confirmed cases, and it was the first state to shut down schools. Later that same week, some governors were still proudly eating in packed restaurants. And Dr. Acton issued a stay-at-home order affecting more than 11 million people when the death toll was still just three. So how did Dr. Acton do it? To find out, we watched more than seven weeks of press briefings, and we noticed themes that, well, let’s just say other leaders should pay attention to. First up, she empowers us. Take a look at this clip from the day Dr. Acton issued that stay-at-home order. “I don’t want you to be afraid. I am not afraid. I am determined. But I need you to do everything. I want you to think about the fact that this is our one shot in this country. All of us are going to have to sacrifice. And I know someday we’ll be looking back and wondering, what was it we did in this moment?” Of her 65 words there, 12 are pronouns. Her repeated use of “I” tells us she’s in it with us. She’s taking ownership. Her use of “you” makes the audience feel a connection with her, even though we’re watching from home. Toward the end, she switches from singular to collective pronouns, signaling that she’s just like us, and we’re in it together. She’s in charge, yet she’s made us feel like the heroes. “There are everyday heroes everywhere. We know that not all heroes wear capes. You’re heroic when you stay at home and watch your neighbor who’s a nurse’s child. I know you’re all donning those capes in big ways and small ways. Please help us. Thank you.” Ohioans were inspired. Not just to stay at home, but to spread her messages to each other. Another theme of Dr. Acton’s briefings is brutal honesty. And to understand this one, we have to take you back to mid-April. People were getting restless, wondering when things would get back to normal. “So I do hope no one at home thinks like, it’s wide open, May 1, going back to life as normal. The rules have changed, and they’re not going to be quite the same. Life will be different for quite some time to come, and maybe in some ways that are permanent.” She’s preparing us for the long haul, even if it’s not what we want to hear. “It’s really hard to hear that, but we are not going back to six months ago. That’s not the reality we all face.” This is something she does a lot, actually. Setting up bad news with a warning. “Ohioans, you know, I know that’s hard to take. I know that’s a hard truth for people, because we want there to be a right answer and a right way. And I know this is a deep breath we all must take.” Dr. Acton is also honest about what she doesn’t know. “We have to be very clear and transparent with you. All of these numbers are a gross underestimation, and we have no real idea of the prevalence of this infection yet.” A lot of leaders just avoid talking about uncertainty. But when Dr. Acton repeatedly says, “We don’t know.” It’s actually calming to hear her admit what we all feel deep down, that we just don’t have the full story. And finally, Dr. Acton sees vulnerability as a strength. After watching dozens of hours of briefings, there was one word we kept hearing over and over. “Please just acknowledge and give a name to what you’re going through. Acknowledge it with each other. And so I just want to acknowledge that these are still really tough times. This is wearing on all of us, and I just want to acknowledge that. I just want to acknowledge that all of us are feeling this. It’s such an unprecedented time.” Hearing Dr. Acton acknowledge our harder emotions forces us to face them head on. Stuffing down fear and sadness just causes more stress, and may make us act more selfishly instead of empathizing with each other. “And you’ll have days when you’re anxious. But don’t kill yourself over that. Please know and forgive yourself and try again.” And take a look at what she does here. “Every day I go through stages of grief. I go through, you know, denial. I go through a little anger. I go through a little bargaining. I don’t have to wear this. I might not need it. This isn’t true. I get a little down.” When she tells us she’s struggling too, we feel seen, and heard and less alone. And maybe that’s all any of us want right now. In a pandemic, the words our leaders choose can save lives. As of the end of April, Ohio had recorded fewer than 1,000 Covid deaths. By comparison, neighboring Michigan suffered more than 3,000, even though Ohio has a bigger population and had its first case three weeks earlier. Of course, other factors help explain this. But Dr. Acton convinced millions of Ohioans to stay at home. Not by ordering them, but by inspiring them. “People at home, you are moving mountains. You are saving lives. Again, I get emotional talking about this, because this is no small thing that we are doing together. It is so incredibly hard to have shut down our lives the way we have. I am absolutely certain you will look back and know that you helped save each other in this state. The impact is profound. Please, at home, don’t stop.”
The Leader We Wish We All Had
A look at the style of Dr. Amy Acton, who has earned praise for her daily briefings on the pandemic.
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