John Maxwell, a world-famous speaker and author on leadership once said “being a leader is more than just wanting to lead. Leaders have empathy for others and a keen ability to find the best in people… not the worst… by truly caring for others.” Simply, this means that a leader must have the ability to understand his people and connect with them. Each person has his own personality, sensitivities and quirks. A leader must therefore treat every individual in his organization differently. Each individual is a special case. This sensitivity of a leader is referred to as the “soft spot in leadership.” In layman’s parlance it refers to the ability of a leader to show compassion.

This so-called soft factor in leadership is well-exemplified by Dr. William Osler, a doctor, university professor and medical practitioner until his death in 1919 at the age of 70. His greatest contribution to the world was his advocacy for doctors to practice compassion when treating their patients. In his own words – “we doctors are given over nowadays to science; that we care much more for the disease and its scientific aspects than for the individual…. I would urge upon you in your own practice, to care more particularly for the individual patient. Dealing as we do with poor suffering humanity, we see the man unmasked, exposed to all the frailties and weaknesses and you have to keep your heart soft and tender lest you have too great a contempt for your fellow creatures.”

Let’s take a look at the life of Dr. William Osler – the doctor who taught his American medical students at patients’ bedsides rather than from a textbook. This method of teaching medical students was a revolutionary idea then in North America although already being taught in Europe.

William Osler was born in 1849 in the small town of Bond Head, Canada West (now Ontario) – the eighth of nine children. Considered the most influential figure in the history of medicine, Osler is blessed with a charismatic personality. While in US, he accepted positions in the University of Pennsylvania (then the largest and most important medical school in the US) and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. During his stint at Johns Hopkins, Osler introduced his unique method of teaching medical students with his statement: “Take him from the lecture-rooms, take him from the amphitheatre – put him in the out-patient department, put him in the wards.” His medical textbook titled “The Principles and Practice of Medicine.” Designed for the Use of Practitioners and Students of Medicine (published in 1892) established Osler as the leading authority on modern medicine. This medical textbook was translated into French, German, Spanish, and Chinese.

Osler’s lasting legacy to his colleagues and on generations and generations of medical students is capsulized in Osler’s statement that: “I desire no other epitaph… than the statement that I taught medical students in the wards, as I regard this as by far the most useful and important work I have been called upon to do.”

Indeed, Osler is best remembered by the world for the “humanism” he brought to the field of medicine. A relational leader at his best who has demonstrated the ability and passion to understand how people feel and think.

Have a joyful day!