Moral Courage on the Front Lines Is Lacking in the C-Suite

"Moral courage is rare and moral greatness even rarer. It requires a potent combination of deep empathy, will and conviction that social norms cannot shake."

– David WolpeRabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, California

Jaya Mallidi, MD, MHS

The quote printed in bold, italic, Calibri font has been hanging on my office wall since October 15, 2018, when I read David Wolpe's account of Chiune Sugihara. Sugihara was a Japanese official who saved thousands of Jews fleeing Germany in 1939 by issuing transit visas, defying his government's orders. He did so knowing that his actions would end his career. When asked why, he said, "It was a matter of humanity. I did not care if I lost my job."

The kind of courage that Sugihara had is supposed to be rare. It is one that overcomes fear of immediate negative personal consequence because of the conviction that doing something for a noble cause benefits the rest of humanity—a moral courage.

COVID-19 and Moral Courage

Staring at the quote, I think about Li Wenliang, the Chinese physician who was admonished by government officials for his early warnings about SARS-CoV-2 and later died of COVID-19. I think about Brett E. Crozier