As the healthcare industry places more emphasis on value-based performance, hospital executives may want to pause and assess whether their leadership falls under that category.
Doug McKinley, PsyD, an executive coach, founder and president of McKinley Leadership, recently spoke on the internal makings of leaders at the recent Guidon Performance Solution virtual healthcare summit. According to Dr. McKinley's findings, character alone can make certain leaders more likely to succeed than others.
What is values-based leadership?
In a world where so many things have come to be value-based, what does mean in terms of leadership? Dr. McKinley said this style of leadership is demonstrated by people who lead with authentic self-expression from the inside-out, and who influence others towards effectiveness.
An important mantra for hospital leaders is this: form follows function. Basically, function is leaders' understanding of why they're performing each task. It's the "big picture" or meaning behind daily routines. If a leader's form is not determined by this meaning, then they may lead organizations and people from an empty place that lacks passion, drive and persistence.
"Without a functional structure, such as character, leaders can become shallow by demonstrating forms of leadership without ever knowing why they're doing what they're doing," Dr. McKinley says. These leaders are essentially "faking it until they make it," and while there may be a time and place for this technique, Dr. McKinley says it's not sustainable. History has proven time and again that form-based leaders will eventually be exposed.
Unlike form-based leaders, value-based leaders often succeed since their character drives their leadership. It doesn't just act as a crutch or support. "Leaders who attempt to lead without doing the hard work of becoming a functional human are incapable of meaningful impacts," says Dr. McKinley. "Many leaders are just dysfunctional people. Sure, they can increase profits and give short-term hope, but they can't create sustainable value."
A functional leader will see what they really see — not just what they're supposed to see. Furthermore, they will understand the real drivers behind their work and the true value in what they're trying to accomplish, according to Dr. McKinley.
How does one grow as a value-based leader?
First, the individual must grow as a person, according to Dr. McKinley. "Lead from who you are, not what you do," he says. He said even high-profile leaders shouldn't let their public image override their values. "Most of us are trying to lead at a high level, but we're also highly image-based. When image overrides character, we're unable to be authentic. We want image to be a small slice of who we are, and character [should be] driving the message."
People can still manage to accomplish amazing things while neglecting their character and values, but this success is often short-lived. Tiger Woods is one example Dr. McKinley mentioned in his presentation. Mr. Woods' professional achievements in golf made him one of the most successful athletes of all time in terms of performance, career wins and earnings. But revelations about his personal life in March 2010 quickly shattered that image. "He didn't do the hard work of becoming a functional human being to sustain his performance," says Dr. McKinley.
To conclude his presentation, Dr. McKinley recommended leaders do three things to strengthen their value-based leadership:
1. Choose a must-win battle to test the influence of their leadership. This should be a goal that must be met. It gives leaders an opportunity to exercise value-based leadership and drive their teams from a place of meaning rather than form.
2. Choose one behavior to improve over the next six months. This helps leaders continually adapt and grow, as Dr. McKinley explained was so crucial to value-based leadership.
3. Choose one thing to do more or less of that will end up improving value-based leadership, and do that thing today. This might be blocking off 10 minutes from your day to think about the meaning behind your work and step away from a "to-do" list way of thinking.
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Doug McKinley, PsyD, an executive coach, founder and president of McKinley Leadership, recently spoke on the internal makings of leaders at the recent Guidon Performance Solution virtual healthcare summit. According to Dr. McKinley's findings, character alone can make certain leaders more likely to succeed than others.
What is values-based leadership?
In a world where so many things have come to be value-based, what does mean in terms of leadership? Dr. McKinley said this style of leadership is demonstrated by people who lead with authentic self-expression from the inside-out, and who influence others towards effectiveness.
An important mantra for hospital leaders is this: form follows function. Basically, function is leaders' understanding of why they're performing each task. It's the "big picture" or meaning behind daily routines. If a leader's form is not determined by this meaning, then they may lead organizations and people from an empty place that lacks passion, drive and persistence.
"Without a functional structure, such as character, leaders can become shallow by demonstrating forms of leadership without ever knowing why they're doing what they're doing," Dr. McKinley says. These leaders are essentially "faking it until they make it," and while there may be a time and place for this technique, Dr. McKinley says it's not sustainable. History has proven time and again that form-based leaders will eventually be exposed.
Unlike form-based leaders, value-based leaders often succeed since their character drives their leadership. It doesn't just act as a crutch or support. "Leaders who attempt to lead without doing the hard work of becoming a functional human are incapable of meaningful impacts," says Dr. McKinley. "Many leaders are just dysfunctional people. Sure, they can increase profits and give short-term hope, but they can't create sustainable value."
A functional leader will see what they really see — not just what they're supposed to see. Furthermore, they will understand the real drivers behind their work and the true value in what they're trying to accomplish, according to Dr. McKinley.
How does one grow as a value-based leader?
First, the individual must grow as a person, according to Dr. McKinley. "Lead from who you are, not what you do," he says. He said even high-profile leaders shouldn't let their public image override their values. "Most of us are trying to lead at a high level, but we're also highly image-based. When image overrides character, we're unable to be authentic. We want image to be a small slice of who we are, and character [should be] driving the message."
People can still manage to accomplish amazing things while neglecting their character and values, but this success is often short-lived. Tiger Woods is one example Dr. McKinley mentioned in his presentation. Mr. Woods' professional achievements in golf made him one of the most successful athletes of all time in terms of performance, career wins and earnings. But revelations about his personal life in March 2010 quickly shattered that image. "He didn't do the hard work of becoming a functional human being to sustain his performance," says Dr. McKinley.
To conclude his presentation, Dr. McKinley recommended leaders do three things to strengthen their value-based leadership:
1. Choose a must-win battle to test the influence of their leadership. This should be a goal that must be met. It gives leaders an opportunity to exercise value-based leadership and drive their teams from a place of meaning rather than form.
2. Choose one behavior to improve over the next six months. This helps leaders continually adapt and grow, as Dr. McKinley explained was so crucial to value-based leadership.
3. Choose one thing to do more or less of that will end up improving value-based leadership, and do that thing today. This might be blocking off 10 minutes from your day to think about the meaning behind your work and step away from a "to-do" list way of thinking.
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