Leadership Development - A Critical Imperative in Healthcare

By Kym Yahn, MBA, Senior Consultant, Organizational Effectiveness, Sinclair Community College, Workforce Development

Transformation, innovation, adaptation. Whatever the term used, it all comes down to one fact - change happens. And, change is happening at a pace that continues to increase exponentially.

Few industries are experiencing more uncertainty and complexity than the healthcare sector. Shifting demographics, new standards of care, increased regulatory requirements, advances in technology and political pressure aimed at healthcare reform are creating challenges many leaders are not prepared to handle.

Often, individuals with strong technical skills are promoted into leadership roles. While those skills are essential, many of these leaders find themselves struggling to manage the “people” side of their job.

Healthcare organizations are quickly discovering the need to step up their efforts to equip current and future leaders with both technical and professional skills to effectively lead and succeed.

A comprehensive study, conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership, revealed six key areas where the greatest gaps emerged between the current and required skills of effective leaders. These results were based on a thorough analysis of data gleaned from leadership evaluations completed by nearly 35,000 healthcare professionals over a nine-year period.

  1. Leading employees: strengthening interpersonal communication skills and developing the ability to coach, grow and develop others.
  2. Participative management: encouraging input, building consensus, keeping the team informed and seeking out and considering different perspectives.
  3. Building and mending relationships: finding common ground, encouraging healthy debate, gaining support from different levels and building strong trust-based relationships.
  4. Self-awareness: having an accurate view of their strengths and challenges, being willing to seek and act upon feedback, leading with respect and authenticity.
  5. Broad organizational perspective: understanding and valuing the interconnectedness of various functions, emphasizing the value of collaboration and managing operations from a strategic perspective.
  6. Building and leading a team: setting clear expectations, holding others accountable, motivating the team, and managing conflict effectively.

To prepare the healthcare leaders of the future, it is imperative that organizations create leadership development opportunities to build not just technical skills, but also people skills. This can be accomplished through a healthcare learning and development program like Accelerate.

Accelerate was created by the Sinclair Workforce Development division to provide healthcare professionals with the tools they need to become effective leaders. This hybrid program consists of both in-person and online-learning sessions to accommodate busy schedules. It is designed to build on an individual’s strong clinical skills while leveraging their leadership potential as they prepare to advance their career.

To learn more and to register, visit workforce.sinclair.edu or call 937-252-9787. And, anytime you’re looking for professional development opportunities, turn to BBB Accredited Businesses like Sinclair Community College.

Source: http://www.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/addressingLeadershipGapHealthcare.pdf