A New Era in Healthcare: Why Leadership Matters
It feels like the dawning of a new era now that the COVID-19 pandemic is finally beginning to loosen its grip on the globe. The world’s economies are waking up, and, finally, we are able to assess the damage that has happened to our healthcare systems over the last eighteen months.
In fairness, most of our hospitals have survived remarkably well, but there is definitely room for improvement, and improvements will only happen with investment in good leadership.
Why Leadership Matters in Healthcare
In today’s world of healthcare, it is easy for busy doctors and nurses to lose sight of the real reason they joined the medical profession in the first place: to care for patients.
In fact, as the industry gets more complicated, with ever-increasing regulations and less time for doctors to spend with patients, it becomes easier than ever to get so bogged down in your current job that you forget about leadership.
Leaders, like doctors and nurses, are in the business of caring for people—in this case, communities of people. As a leader, you are also responsible for thinking beyond your current role, which means looking at the big picture. Is your organization growing? Does it have a vision? Can you keep up with all the regulations?
Good leaders find ways to accomplish both their daily responsibilities and their strategic goals. They are versatile and efficient experts who lead by example. They show others how to be more effective by taking action themselves. The best leaders have plans that they believe in passionately, but they are flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances.
Leadership and Education
It will come as no surprise to anyone that good leaders in any business are usually those with higher-level degrees. They tend to be more educated and better prepared to lead. This is true in healthcare, too.
Curriculums, such as the Marymount University DNP program, focus on integrating clinical reasoning with ethical decision-making, and also have an emphasis on service and compassion. It also emphasizes good communication skills and the importance of applying your knowledge in diverse circumstances.
The healthcare industry is currently in the middle of a revolution, and doctors who wish to lead must be prepared to step outside their comfort zones. If you are looking to make a career change or wanting to advance your career in healthcare leadership, advanced education is an excellent way to put you ahead of your peers.
Communication is a Vital Skill
The need for healthcare leaders has never been greater than it is today. The old model has broken down, and new skillsets are required for leaders who work with people.
Good leaders communicate well with other members of their organization. They can help doctors and nurses achieve more by working together rather than against each other. In the case of healthcare leadership, you must communicate with people from a variety of professional backgrounds.
While many healthcare organizations have highly specialized units, which tend to work in silos, the head honcho has a responsibility to help integrate them all. This means being able to communicate effectively with doctors and administrative staff alike.
A Dynamic Arena
A successful leader is a master strategist who can find ways to achieve goals in any situation. It takes skill to be well-versed in politics and understand the needs of others at any given time.
Healthcare is a dynamic field that requires leaders to be flexible. They must anticipate changing situations and be prepared to adjust accordingly.
It also takes good leadership skills to negotiate with other departments and understand their concerns. Healthcare leaders should know how to work within the system, but they must also succeed by empowering team members to take risks, move forward confidently, and make decisions independently without the need for constant compliance from them.
The Gift of Connection
Because leading requires connecting with people on different levels—from gruff caregivers to nervous administrative staff—you will not be able to make progress without gaining the trust of others.
In healthcare, you will have to work with numerous people from all different backgrounds. It is important that you have a good relationship with all of them because they will always have the ability to influence your decision-making. Good leaders listen to their team members and appreciate their input.
When a leader listens to others, they are open to new ideas and therefore make better decisions overall. They learn from others by giving them the authority to make decisions, instead of waiting for someone else to do it for them. Ideally, healthcare leaders should be able to see how each person’s strengths add up together in order for everyone throughout the organization to achieve what they should do as a team.
Leadership in healthcare may seem daunting to many people, but it doesn’t have to be an intimidating experience. You can be a successful leader if you are willing to take the first step.
Healthcare leaders have the ability to influence others through their presence, attitudes, and knowledge. They are able to inspire others with their own example by knowing how much they know and by acting on what they believe is right—all the while taking full responsibility for their decisions.
The gift of connection is incredibly valuable in healthcare because it allows doctors and staff alike to work together toward a common goal. Having good leadership skills makes your team more effective because everyone works toward very specific goals rather than just performing tasks randomly.
Improving Morale and Focus in Healthcare Settings
Leaders in healthcare are able to find ways to improve staff morale and give people a sense of purpose. They can equip their team members with tools that help them perform their jobs well.
Healthcare leadership also means having the commitment and courage to make the right choice in every situation. It may require making sacrifices and accepting rejection, but it can be very rewarding at the same time.
Many leaders face resistance when they try to change processes for the better. But leadership does not mean imposing your personal agenda on others; it means inspiring them to achieve more than they thought they could do under difficult circumstances.
When people are inspired to do their best, they are more likely to perform well. Leaders should inspire loyalty in their team members by being approachable and respectful. They should be able to communicate how they feel about each situation without being emotional or raising their voice unnecessarily.
Leaders must also have the ability to focus on the tasks at hand rather than get distracted by others’ opinions of them.
Discipline as a Tool for Success
Discipline is an important part of leadership because it can get you out of situations in which you might find yourself in over your head. As long as you possess good leadership skills, you will be able to lead your team in the right direction and achieve what is necessary for all parties involved.
Discipline is a necessary skill for healthcare leaders to possess because it allows them to adjust to new situations and make changes when necessary. It’s also an essential part of leadership because it allows them to keep their nose to the grindstone and get the job done.
Healthcare leaders should recognize that change can be frightening, but if you are willing to see situations through, you will ultimately be successful. There are times when you must act on urgent situations, so it’s important that you don’t get bogged down by the pressure of what others may think of you. This is especially true with regards to making difficult decisions that affect patients’ lives.
Leadership Problems and Solutions: Causes of Leadership Failure?
Healthcare leaders are often blamed for poor patient outcomes due to many factors. However, the truth is that situations aren’t always what they appear to be. Many times, the real reason for poor outcomes exists outside of healthcare professional’s influence.
When it comes down to leadership failure, there are many reasons why healthcare professionals lack the ability to make positive change happen.
Leaders fail because they fail to empower their subordinates by giving them the authority necessary to use their initiative in difficult situations. The best way to lead is through consistent encouragement and support of team members’ efforts—not by imposing your agenda on others or making decisions for them.
Leaders also fail because they lack accountability for their actions. Hospital administration is a challenging job. It’s difficult to keep up with all the many demands that healthcare professionals face on a daily basis. The only way to deal with the stress is by delegating tasks to your staff members who are most likely overwhelmed in their roles.
A common mistake leaders make is taking too much responsibility for others’ actions. They often see it necessary to take control of situations when they should be learning how to delegate work. Leaders need to remember that they do not have all the answers; they are responsible for leading, but not everything.
Leadership means making decisions for which there is no perfect answer; it means acting in the best possible way when there is no clear-cut right or wrong answer. But when leaders stay in control of situations that are complicated or not entirely their own fault, they fail to learn from their mistakes and make the necessary adjustments.
Working as Part of a Team
Leaders also fail because they lack the ability to connect with their team members on a personal level.
Ask any individual why he or she became a healthcare professional and most will tell you that they wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, but many healthcare professionals lack the skills needed to foster good relationships with patients, co-workers, and partners.
They often forget what it’s like to be someone else; they forget how sometimes they want everything done their own way, too.
Organizational Communication
Healthcare leaders must use different types of communication in order to get their message across. They need to speak in terms that everyone can understand and to effectively convey the information they receive. It is also important for healthcare leaders to listen to others’ ideas and opinions before making their own decisions.
A healthcare professional’s ability to listen is an important part of leadership. If you are able to listen well, you are more likely to be aware of how other people around you feel about certain situations.
It is also important that healthcare professionals take time out of their busy schedules for one-on-one meetings with their staff members—not just when there’s a problem, but on a regular basis.
Healthcare Leadership of The Future: What Does it Look Like?
Healthcare leaders play a critical role in the future of healthcare systems. In order to lead our industry into an era of innovation and positive change, healthcare professionals must learn from the past and focus on the challenges of today.
All professionals need to be able to communicate their ideas effectively, but it is most important that they are able to connect emotionally with their team members. Communication is a vital tool in healthcare leadership because it allows for information-sharing and problem-solving.
If we are going to have a successful future, all persons involved in it must be able to work together as a team, which means being part of one unit focused on solving common problems as a whole—not as individuals focused on achieving individual goals.
Summary
Our healthcare system needs leaders who are prepared to take bold steps forward, but also ones who are willing to listen to patients’ needs.
This is why you should understand that good healthcare leaders need to possess a number of traits such as empathy and understanding. Furthermore, they should be able to work in a team environment, take action when needed, and communicate clearly with other members of their team.
It is the job of a leader to empower their team members to take action in order to solve problems. It is the job of anyone in a leadership position at any level to recognize when someone else is putting together an outstanding idea, making the best suggestion, or coming up with solutions that are superior to their own.
A true leader allows others to be leaders, too. Leadership is about sharing and not hoarding information and power. It is about empowering others to lead as well as empowering them to make their own decisions.