The healthcare industry is consistently evolving and changing. The Covid-19 pandemic especially highlighted the importance of adapting swiftly to this ever-changing landscape in order to competently serve the patients and cater to discerning communities. As Gina Temple mentions, in order to be successful, healthcare leaders must assess the present state of their organizations, the current needs of the community they serve and subsequently try to identify what changes will help create sustainable transformation down the line.
Gina Temple talks about what makes a good healthcare leader
Leadership in healthcare comes in varying forms, and is not simply limited to the practice manager in a private medical practice or head of a department in a hospital. In fact, just about any healthcare professional can become a leader in a private or public healthcare setting. No matter whether one desires to work in healthcare administration or management, they would need a set of valuable skills. Such professionals could try to:
- Start their own healthcare-related practice
- Get promoted into a leadership or management role in a healthcare or community care setting
- Gain a better understanding of management and leadership in relation to their current role and field of practice
- Move from a leadership or management role in another industry to a leadership role in healthcare
There are several factors to ponder over when trying to understand what makes a good leader in healthcare. Valued and successful leaders in healthcare typically:
- Try to improve the efficiency, equity, effectiveness and quality of care continuously
- Promote the consistent development of the abilities, skills, and knowledge of the employees
- Strive to motivate, encourage and reward innovation, as well as introduce new and improved ways of working
On the whole, healthcare leaders are agents of positive change for all the involved partners, which includes their peers, employees, and more. These leaders try to support an environment that is inclusive, supportive and innovative, and results in the best possible outcomes for staff and consumers alike. There are many traits that are linked with success in leadership, like being a conscientious team player. One must understand, however, that these leadership skills can be learnt. As Gina Temple says, in addition to a leadership degree, a good amount of experience on the job is also important to keep the skills updated based on the most evidence-based knowledge and thrive in this ever-changing environment. Healthcare leaders often interconnect the theories they learn to their practice to be more innovative, practical and efficient, as well as get better at problem-solving. This would aid good healthcare leaders to effectively lead change, and empower other employees to be agents of change as well, in the unpredictable and complex healthcare landscape.
Modern healthcare leaders usually come from varying backgrounds, with distinctive skills. Today there especially is a high demand for healthcare leaders who have a solid understanding of funding processes in healthcare and how to attract funding from different sources. They must be capable enough to notice the big picture of healthcare and the relationships between key stakeholders, including national, state and local governments and healthcare organisations. Good healthcare leaders are also proficient at strategic decision making, and can capably articulate the vision, mission, values, and goals of a healthcare facility.
