As society propels forward with advances in research, technology, and medicine. It is the responsibility of the Healthcare professional to become conscious of and adapt to these changes. Along with this, there is a great need for leadership in order to effectively implement strategies. And procedures for running Healthcare institutions and serving the billions of people worldwide. In need of medical attention. As a future Healthcare professional, I already pride myself in my organizational skills. And ability to empathize with others. Additionally, a leader or manager must be trustworthy and ethical in order to function in a team. Be responsible for guiding others, and be culturally sensitive.
Organizational Skills
Whether you’re working in an institution that serves one million patients or one hundred patients a day. Providing customer-based and high-quality care is arguably the top priority in Healthcare. Integrating all employees into a system of prevention, improvement. And successful execution is a huge task to tackle for those responsible of an institution’s quality improvement. Being able to effectively implement essential programs like Six Sigma training. And the Lean Process approach to reduce waste and/or accidents in the caregiving process is a necessary asset in this area of leadership.
Every essential aspect of quality improvement relies on the organizational skills of those involved. In order to prevent errors. Leaders must organize training sessions, create and provide resources for proper protocol. And have an orderly backup process in place in case mistakes do occur. Organization is also key when creating a lean institution. Since leaders are responsible for establishing effective processes. And ensuring that flow and pull within these systems are synchronized. Which requires knowledge of how to prioritize and allocate time and resources.
Lastly, in order to improve quality levels of an institution, leaders must be able to follow the DMAIC model and coordinate numerous tests, corrective measures, and sustainable adjustments to current systems. A lack of organizational skills would make the implementation of these improvement strategies infeasible.
Strategic & Operational Planning
In terms of strategic and operational planning. An organized individual can see both the encompassing vision. As well as the operational steps within different areas of the institution. A leader with these skills will be successful in outlining the tactical goals necessary for achieving the institution’s broader mission.
Organization is an all-encompassing skill that may take some time to fully develop. If an individual is able to see broad steps that lead up to a long-term ambition. But cannot implement a detailed, short-term schedule to achieve those steps, their large goals will be unattainable. This is important for leaders and managers to keep in mind.
Although it may seem more fitting for a regional manager or even a CEO to focus on the company strategies and values while the managers and supervisors lead their departments operationally, success may require a combination of both. This is why having the ability to prioritize smaller details while also envisioning a broader aspiration is a necessary trait of a successful leader and manager. Project Management
Alongside strategic and operational planning. There is a great deal of organization required for project management. Similarly, project management requires a great deal of planning ahead of time. Setting major and minor goals, and allocating time and resources to specific areas of the project. Without organized leaders and managers. The institution will be unable to keep the project on track, which can result in deadlines missed and money lost.
The leader is responsible for coordinating what work needs to be accomplished. When each task needs to be accomplished, and who will participate. Additionally, an organized leader will have a system in place for identifying variations in the amount of time and money spent on certain tasks, and be able to develop a strategy for alleviating these constraints.
I pride myself on my abilities to manage time and prioritize. In group work, I am comfortable delegating work and making detailed plans for accomplishing tasks. In the future, I hope to expand this skill by working with larger groups of people and organizing a bigger project than I am currently used to. As a healthcare professional, I understand the importance of delivering quality care, and creating a system of service that is minimal in waste and error, which my organizational aptitude will help me achieve.
Teamwork and Team Development
In terms of team development, a manager is responsible for delegating tasks and directing activity. If team members cannot rely on a manager to be punctual and present or to provide guidance, these members will face a much greater amount of pressure and will ultimately be less productive. Beyond the polite forming stage of team development, personalities within the group may clash. A trustworthy manager will be able to respectfully address conflict and provide suggestions without taking sides.
A successful manager can be trusted to identify and understand various personalities within a team and distribute responsibilities based on member’s strengths. If the employee-manager relationship is lacking trust, the manager is unable to make these judgements and assign roles that will encourage success. Just as a manager would want to trust their employees to be productive and work independently, employees need to trust that their manager can perform these delegative, empowering duties to make the team work.
Personnel Management
In order for any institution to be successful, it needs people from different areas of expertise to be responsible for the many facets of planning, executing projects, and delivering quality service. Finding and bringing in these individuals is the role of the personnel manager. The six jobs of a manager, particularly empowerment and communication, show why a manager must be trustworthy in order to encourage employee development and a positive work environment.
A successful manager should analyze the performance of the employees and be able to offer suggestions for improvement. If employees cannot trust this advice, or do not believe that the manager fosters a respectful, positive environment, the growth and development of the department or institution as a whole will be hindered. Since managers have such a strong influence on employee satisfaction, they must present themselves as approachable and considerate so employees trust that their input will be valued and recognized.
Leader as Manager
The duties of a leader as manager reiterate that the relationship between a worker and their manager is a big part of a company’s success and survival, If a manager is flaky or unable to provide guidance, employees will have a more difficult time reaching their full potential in the organization. Additionally, they will not be incentivized to work harder if their manager is not leading by example, or rewarding them for their productivity. A manager is only as good as their team, and it is their job to choose, develop, and encourage the team members.
Another large part of this has to do with establishing a certain level of democracy within the workplace. The manager must be trusted to make tough decisions, but also to allow their employees to have a participative role in decision making. If trustworthiness is lacking, a manager may ignore input from team members and make all of the decisions, or they might not be trusted to make any of the tough decisions which could put more pressure on team members to assume this role.
The Healthcare professions involve individuals of various personality types and strengths. As a future leader or manager, my approachability and establishment of a trusting relationships with my coworkers will allow me to cater to these different personalities and empower individuals to become stronger professionals. Just as I expect my coworkers to be productive and contributive, I would want them to trust that I can foster teamwork, encourage growth, and offer guidance and direction.
Empathy and Ethics
Diversity of cultures and ideas can make a workplace thrive, but may also cultivate tension when disagreements arise. A leader who facilitates open, respectful communication in order to resolve conflict must be able to empathize with multiple sides and find an objective and fair solution. Additionally, an empathetic leader will be more approachable if an employee has a serious personal conflict, such as substance dependency, abusive relationships, or emotional issues. Empathy is necessary for these kinds of concerns, and it is the responsibility of the leader or manager to offer services or resources to help their employees develop as individuals.
Empathy also goes hand-in-hand with ethics. A leader that is able to understand the feelings, needs, and requests of others will act according to codes of ethics that ensure those feelings, needs, and requests are adequately addressed. If an employee reports that their needs are not being met within the workplace or that they are experiencing negative emotions, it is the leader or manager’s ethical responsibility to communicate, and ensure that the employee leaves the conversation feeling valued and hopeful for a resolution. Organizational Culture Change and Diversity in the Workplace
An organization’s culture is the backbone of its function, and is a combination of many different values, goals, philosophies, assumptions, and behaviors of its members. Trying to adjust this tangled web of beliefs can be extremely difficult and may often cause discomfort among those involved. A leader who misreads their authority and overuses power tools and intimidation too often without allowing open communication is not likely to be successful in implementing necessary culture changes.
On the other hand, a leader who is able to empathize with the members of the team and accept suggestions and make compromises will allow for a smoother transition in the workplace. Similarly with conflict resolution, an empathetic manager will express appreciation for employee input, and attempt to minimize the uneasiness surrounding culture change.
Dr. Jenning’s Lessons
Although diversity can bring about a prosperous work environment, it requires a particular level of empathy and ethical behavior to prevent conflict and misunderstanding. Stereotypes, biases, and acts of prejudice are unacceptable in a successful, collaborative, respectful workplace. Therefore, a leader or manager must ensure that all employees are culturally competent and sensitive to one another’s needs. An empathetic and ethical leader will facilitate routine cultural sensitivity trainings and enforce rules that keep individuals safe regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc. A positive workplace culture is strongly dependent on the respectful treatment of all employees, which is a large responsibility of the leader or manager.
Medical professionals often deal with delicate situations regarding diversity or cultural issues. The inability to act under the proper code of ethics limits the quality of care provided and diminishes the public’s trust with the institution. Being an ethical individual is more than simply knowing the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is ensuring that patients and employees alike are respected as autonomous individuals who are treated fairly and with beneficence. I can easily say that I am a good-hearted person who generally thinks ethically. However, since ethics is such a significant part of Healthcare, I would like to further my understanding of what medical ethics entails in order to be as principled as possible in my Healthcare leadership.
My experience in this particular course has taught me that I have a helping and supporting personality, and I value the feelings and input of others. I believe that this will serve as an advantage if I am ever put in the position of strategizing and implementing culture change, or dealing with sensitive issues in my workplace. I plan to expand my communication skills so I can express my intentions with my coworkers, be viewed as an approachable resource if my coworkers are experiencing difficult issues, and resolve conflicts, including those surrounding organizational culture change or diversity.
I’ve also learned that being an organized and trustworthy individual are key aspects of becoming a leader or manager, Goal-setting and concrete planning, as well as overseeing employees and projects is impossible if a high level of organization is not present. The relationship between an employee and their manager is a crucial influence of productivity and job satisfaction, which is why leaders should focus on being dependable and approachable. Healthcare professionals in general have a monumental responsibility to serve the community, but this is not possible if these Healthcare companies and institutions are not led by well-rounded individuals. Future leaders must keep in mind the need for competent care in this forward advancing society, and aim to sharpen these skills and attributes in order to demonstrate effective leadership.
