Characteristics and Competencies of a Great Leader

Healthcare is a TEAM sport. Healthcare is not just about problem-solving, running tests, prescribing medications, and performing life-saving procedures.  We are in the relationship business.  We all went into medicine to help people by providing compassion, affordable care. It seems the big business model of transactional thinking is trickling down and poisoning the way professionals treat one another. Sometimes it even makes it as far as affecting the patient:professional relationship!  

Social media is riddled with accounts of extremely unhealthy behavior in healthcare today. It is unbelievably sad how some leaders can react toward staff, staff toward one another, patients toward staff, and staff toward patients.  In these instances, it seems we are losing the heart in the art of medicine to which I say, we must Stand Up, and Stand Out DOCs!

We’ve seen and felt the bad outcomes that these behaviors produce, so we are very familiar with what we DON’T want.  It’s just as easy and better for the heart, mind, body, and soul to talk about and focus on what we DO want; a brighter future where we all strive to BECOME better leaders. 

All physicians are leaders, whether you realize it or want to accept that term or not.  In fact, all healthcare workers need to be Great Leaders, no matter what our role is in the organization.  Great leaders are those who not only inspire and develop people around a compelling vision but use their well-developed soft skills to build amazing teams adept at change management.  They administer the hard skills typically assigned to the role of “leader” with the humility, grace, and kindness of a servant, not as a heavy-handed autocrat cloaked in power and prestige.

If we are honest, we KNOW who we are inside and that we are “not quite there yet, all the time.”  But are we humble enough and willing to put in the hard work to continue improving our emotional intelligence; to master the core characteristics and competencies of great leaders? 

What characteristics and competencies lead to successful people AND organizations?

Boards must vet their CEO, CFO, and COO candidates carefully.  They must search for those who have a proven track record of integrity, credibility, trustworthiness, and critical thinking skills that produce extraordinary results.  CEOs should do the same as they build their teams.  For the system to work, all need to be accountable to the highest standards and to one another, in compassionate service to others!

Great Leaders understand their #1 Responsibility is to INVEST in People, starting with themselves.  They properly train and empower themselves and their employees to reach their greatest potential. They then develop other leaders to help carry out the mission and vision, for sustained growth and ongoing impact long into the future.

Accomplished leaders typically have an intense determination/will but remain humble, teachable, and highly relational with their staff. They ascribe to a strength-based leadership mindset, so they surround themselves with other leaders with different skill sets to create a well balanced team.  They complement one another’s skills and enjoy giving and receiving feedback to continue learning from one another.  In fact, they are excited to learn from anyone, of any age, at any time.  

Great leaders know they don’t have all the answers!  They create a culture of learning, discipline, quality, and safety by assembling strong teams of physicians, nurses, and other key decision-makers to help craft organizational direction and strategy. They indelibly build an open culture, not a top-down, command-and-control autocratic style!  Then they Listen to this talented team!

They listen to all voices: patients and staff from all levels and departments.  Their goal is synergy and buy-in, so they ask for input and welcome healthy dialogue from everyone.  They seek out people with whom they disagree because to reach synergy, all perspectives must be considered and openly debated. Sometimes the naysayers have a rationale that no one else has considered, and it may turn out to be the best approach!

A great leader keeps all options on the table but does not unilaterally make decisions for the organization, the decisions are made together.  He trusts the team and the team learns to trust him, because of who he is, what he stands for, and what he has done for them personally and for the organization! 

All voices are heard, all contribute and once all the empirical evidence is examined, the professional acumen of the stakeholders guides the strategy and tactics for the group.  This will include taking great risks at times, but there is so much trust that the team is willing to buy in and commit to bear that risk, for the benefit of the whole! 

Great Leaders communicate early and often, in repetitive, deliberate, multi-channel ways so there is clarity and understanding.  Leaders inspire enthusiasm with passion, intensity, and courage by outlining what they know, as well as what they don’t know.  No rocks are left unturned, and everyone is expected to call out the “creepy-crawly things”/problems, so the root cause can be quickly identified and mitigated! 

Great leaders are change agents and develop other leaders early in the process to assure safe and effective transitions.  They kindly help assure consistent accountability; as they realize change can take 6-9 months to establish a new habit.  As such, great leaders remain adaptable, nimble, patient, and supportive of the new behaviors needed to achieve the goal.  They understand that change takes time because people assimilate change at different rates. 

There are two types of change to contend with:

1. Technical Change - Straightforward solutions to correct technological or workflow processes. These are most often welcome because they are intended to relieve frustrations, concerns, and dysfunctionality. If done well, it restores fairness, transparency, integrity, credibility, and TRUST.  [Now we all agree that not all technical change has been welcome, or gone well in healthcare, but that is another discussion!]
2. Adaptive Change requires new behavioral patterns and often a change in attitudes, beliefs, habits, or values. This produces a wide range of emotional responses, including conflict and resistance. Adaptive change is involved in 65% of initiatives and is more difficult because changing hearts and minds is much harder work than incorporating a new piece of equipment, for example.

RESULTS are the ultimate test of the effectiveness of a leader and his ability to build a great team. Healthy execution of these core characteristics and competencies should result in an insatiable desire to WIN. People who trust their leader will invest in themselves and bring their best every day to help make that happen.  

In contrast, no amount of trust, conflict, commitment, and accountability can compensate for a lack of a desire to WIN. If the team rarely achieves its goals, then by definition, it’s simply not a good team; with the ultimate responsibility being with the leader!

So as we have learned from athletics, if the team is not winning, don’t blame or fire the players.  It is the owner’s responsibility to procure an excellent coach!  Similarly in healthcare, the governing board/entity is responsible for this critical piece. For the health of the organization and the community, if people don’t buy into, TRUST, and willingly follow the leader – GET ANOTHER LEADER!