The healthcare industry faces momentous change ahead, and leaders of healthcare organizations must be ready to adapt, facing these changes head-on. Good leaders, who may have succeeded at leading their organizations during the somewhat steady years of fee-for-service reimbursement, may not be good enough to take on the challenges of preparing their organizations for such significant disruption. Instead, the industry needs exceptional leaders, say Carson Dye and Andrew Garman, authors of "Exceptional Leadership: 16 Critical Competencies for Healthcare Executives."
The second edition of the book, out this year, includes updated information around the 16 competencies in the Dye-Garman model for exceptional leadership. The 16 competencies, grouped into four cornerstones, provide an overview of the type of leadership skills and traits healthcare leaders must cultivate, as well as those boards should look for when selecting new leadership for their organizations. Below is a quick overview of each competency; for a more detailed analysis of each, along with case studies, click here.
Well-cultivated self awareness
- Leading with conviction — Identify your values and beliefs, and let them guide decision-making, even if it leads to unpopular decisions.
- Using emotional intelligence — Recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and manage your emotions.
- Earning trust and loyalty — Be willing to admit mistakes, do what you'll say you'll do and pay attention to the concerns of others.
- Energizing staff — Encourage strong work ethic and enthusiasm by modeling it personally.
Compelling vision
5. Developing vision — Set a future vision for your organization that anticipates changes and includes strategies to adapt to them.
6. Communicating vision — Help stakeholders understand the desired future state, and communicate their role in reaching that state.
A real way with people
7. Listening like you mean it — Be approachable and open-minded.
8. Giving great feedback — Set clear expectations and provide criticism and praise when appropriate.
9. Mentoring — Invest time in developing direct reports.
10. Developing high-performance teams — Create incentives for employees and leaders to work together, and select managers who collaborate well.
Masterful execution
- Generating informal power — Understand the informal sources of power in your organization and work to influence them.
- Building true consensus — Frame issues from multiple perspectives and work to find shared values and pain points.
- Mindful decision making — Make decisions based on a mix of facts, goals, ethics, alternatives and judgments.
- Driving results — Set high standards and hold people accountable.
- Sustaining creativity — Be open to new ideas and ways of approaching work or challenges.
- Cultivating adaptability — Bring clarity to ambiguous situations and be open to adjusting course if needed.