"A leader takes people where they would never go on their own." Hans Finzel
Rightly said! A leader will give you the courage to explore those parts of your personality that you thought never existed. A leader brings out the best in you unleashing your full potential. Moving on from here, let us talk about leadership in healthcare. Like any other industry, impactful and positive leadership is required in the healthcare industry to get the desired quality of services. Many studies have shown that healthcare leadership bears positive outcomes for not only the patients but the staff as well.
The healthcare demands are increasing rapidly and so to cater to those needs the healthcare segment is required to boost its productivity and efficiency. While doctors and nurse managers may be the supervising heads but they might not be leaders. In healthcare, we need leaders who are capable of leading the team, envisioning long term goals, putting their perspective out there, and being able to understand the perspective of others, deal with the limited budgets, improve the overall quality of service, work with scarce resources and create a harmonious environment for the employees.
I’m Benoit Morin, former president and CEO of Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), British Columbia, and here, I've tried to list some positive impacts that efficient leadership brings with respect to the healthcare industry.
1. Boost knowledge among the people involved- The great leaders never forget how important it is to keep on enhancing one's knowledge. It is through the power of knowledge that one can achieve great things in life. They make people aware of the issues lying ahead of them and educate their followers in every possible way to tackle the problem successfully. Another way of boosting the knowledge among people is by sharing one's own life experiences and learnings. The healthcare leaders provide a sense of accomplishment among their mentees and also help them to establish their long-term and short-term career goals.
2. Leaders are visionaries- The healthcare leaders always help in setting ambitious yet attainable goals for the employees by always keeping the big picture in their minds. The healthcare leaders make sure that they maintain harmony among the various goals such as providing the best quality of service to the patients and business goals. They keep the goals in front of their team so that they are always working on the right track to achieve what they believe in. The vision of a leader motivates all the team members even during the toughest time period.
3. Bring humility to the workplace- A sign of a great leader is their humility. Even though the leader is pulled in several different directions at a time, he/she never lose their cool. Rather than boasting about their vision and achievements, they appreciate the efforts and contributions of all the team members. Every effort, no matter how small it is, never goes waste in the eyes of a true leader. A true leader brings a very positive and vibrant atmosphere to the workplace. They admit that they won't have the answers to all the questions hence, they welcome and value the perspective of all those who work with them. They trust and respect all their team members and it is the humility of their character that wins them the trust and respect of the team.
4. They bring change and innovation- Efficient leaders are always ready to challenge their comfort zone. It is their open-mindedness and willingness to change that brings a holistic and positive change in the workplace. They are ready to implement new ideas irrespective of who brings them to the table. When a leader is positive and open to change, the whole organization becomes home to innovation and positive change.
5. There are more collaborations- More than any other industry, healthcare needs teamwork. It is a sign of a great leader if the number of collaborations has improved and increased. Harmony among all the staff members is needed to give the best care and treatment to the patients. The healthcare leaders understand this and value collaborations. The collaborations not only ensure the best possible way a patient could be treated but also result in improved communication among the members.
