10 most important competencies for healthcare leaders: survey

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to uphold values are among the most important characteristics for healthcare leaders, according to recent research from Cornell University. 

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In a study published Sept. 19 in the Journal of Healthcare Leadership, researchers interviewed 25 leaders across New York City-based Weill Cornell Medicine and New York (N.Y.) Presybterian Hospital systems. The researchers inquired about leaders’ personal values, their health system’s values and what they consider the most effective competencies for healthcare leaders. 

The leaders’ ranking for “competencies healthcare leaders need”:

1. Ability to create an open environment that invites collaboration and communication. 

2. Ability to uphold the institution’s shared values. 

3. Ability to build teams and gain trust. 

4. Ability to make executive decisions. 

5. Being mission-driven and upholding the institution’s integrity. 

6. Leading with high emotional intelligence. 

7. “Competent administration”: having specialized skills, seeking training, learning on the job, leading through uncertainty. 

8. Self-awareness. 

9. Subject matter excellence. 

10. Technical skills, including finance, operations and negotiation. 

At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.

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Presenters: Imamu Tomlinson, MD, MBA, VituityWilliam Morice II, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic LaboratoriesJordan Dale, MD, Houston MethodistAsh Tengshe, City of HopeChris Klay, MHA, MA, PT, FACHE, Hospital Sisters Health System

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