Who are Leaders in Healthcare ?

On Father’s Day as we thank our fathers for being leaders in our lives, we can ask, “Who are leaders in healthcare?” There are many types of leaders, some good and some bad. Everyone has since the effects that a charismatic leader can have and often the devastating consequences that these personalities can have on their followers. Leadership has been thought of in many terms over the years. At one point, the common belief was that great leaders were born and not made. During that same time period, most people followed in their parent’s footsteps and maintained the same job for most of their lives.

Times have changed and people’s views changed. Most people would agree that good leaders and either made or a combination of environment, born with natural talent, or learn to be a leader.

One of the best keys to being a leader was given by a firefighter, “You can’t be a leader if no one is following you.” To him it is important as a leader to know where you are going and to have followers. Some people are followers and some are leaders. It takes both and both should be good at what they do.
Some keys to being a leader include:

• Being a role model, don’t be afraid to get down and do the dirty work. We all have to pay our dues sometime.
• Know where you are going and let others know where you are going. Share your ideas and vision with them. They may have some good ideas on how to get there.
• Challenge the old beliefs. Don’t do something just because that is the way it has always been done in the past.
• Help and encourage others to act. Be supportive and help them to grow.
• Follow your instincts. If you believe in the cause or idea, then make the decision and stick with it.

Many of the problems with leaders is our inability to trust them. When you are a leader, you need to move to the position that what you say is what you do. If someone can’t respect you and doesn’t trust you, why should they follow you? Your followers are important. Think about a flock of geese. They take turns being the leader, but while they are the leader, they can hear the other geese honking them on. The other geese are offering praise, support, and criticism. You will find that the critics can be the most vocal, but even they can urge you on, by keeping you moving forward.

You make yourself either a good leader or a bad one. If you are going to be involved, then get involved have the commitment and follow through. Be the best you can be at what ever you choose. Lead by example; be willing to do the necessary dirty work. Begin with the end in mind, that is know where you want your followers to end up before you start out. Help them to be come competent. People respect others that are competent and the competency has been proven. Inspire others to be competent and encourage them to have compassion and follow their heart as well as being confident in what they do.

Leaders are made by applying formal or non-formal education and experience. They often come out of adversity or need, they are the ones that rise to the situation to be the voice of reason and lead others. In many cases they may have not shown leadership tendencies until they were called upon, there is an ability to get along well and work with others but the leadership aspect at a high level can be achieved by training.

One of my favorite leaders is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. I first became familiar with his story several years ago in my readings and watching the movie Gettysburg. It was a difficult time to live and lead others during the Civil War and Colonel Chamberlain rose to the challenge. He had been a scholar and seemed an unlikely leader, but when the time came he was able to lead his men and help the cause. If he had not held Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg, the outcome of the entire battle might have been different. It was especially interesting how he fell back on his studies and faith; he used the experience of others to guide him in his direction. It was a good lesson in how we can learn so much from the mistakes and achievements of others. We would save ourselves a lot of problems if we could learn from the past and not be destined to make the same mistakes as our ancestors. Unfortunately, we do not always do that and will need leaders with Colonel Chamberlain’s the ability to learn from other people’s triumphs and failures so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

The speech that Colonel Chamberlain used to motivate the men reminded me of the one in William Shakespeare King Henry V. On Saint Crispin’s Day, King Henry in the play rallied the troops, by saying “We few, We happy few” and “We who are about to die gallantly” in his speech. This speech moved the troops to willingly sacrifice themselves for their leader. Both King Henry and Colonel Chamberlain were able to move their men from despair to be willing to lay their life down for their cause. They did this by emotionally enlisting the people. The listeners were told that the cause was just, personal calling was noble, challenge was critical, and the leader valued their support. There are many men and women that have been able to move people, but few have achieved that level of success.

Some time ago, Louis Gerstner as IBM chief executive had to motive his “troops” at the newly acquired Lotus Development Corporation to support him and IBM. He used similar tactics and was able to motive the newly acquired employees. Leadership is a learned trait; it does help to have certain personal characteristics, but can be learned. This can be done through observation, reading, and a willingness to learn from the past. Several of the leaders that we studied did not appear to have strong leadership skills before they were called upon, but were able to draw on their knowledge, beliefs, integrity, and had a willingness to act. People look for honesty, forward-looking, competency, and inspiration from their leaders. Many of us were fortunate to find this type of leadership from our fathers. Some of us were not this fortunate, can find examples of fathers or leaders that have provided this type of leadership. By following the principles that we learned from great leaders we can apply the knowledge to enable each of us to have strong leadership skills.
Have a great Father’s Day and remember to thank your Dad and the others that inspired you for providing leadership in your life