Executives and managers serve in complex roles. They must exhibit resiliency and determination in their mission to guide their organization toward success, while at the same time be compassionate mentors to their employees and team players to their colleagues. Often, these two demands butt heads, forcing leaders to make tough choices.
The following 10 articles on leadership and management from Becker's Hospital Review offer strategic insight and advice for leaders as they guide their employees to succeed through complex times.
1. 5 thoughts from Chuck Lauer: The importance of face-to-face meetings, consistency and hiring people smarter than you
In an interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Chuck Lauer offers new healthcare leaders advice on managing employees coming from different backgrounds and how to always keep the organization's mission top-of-mind. Additionally, Mr. Lauer suggests 16 basic tenets of leadership, touching on the importance of listenening, the value of mentorship and who to hire.
2. 7 phrases you'll never hear come out of a successful leader's mouth
No one ever became successful by making statements like "I hate what I'm doing," "That's not fair" or "That's not my problem." The list of seven phrases in this article represents the antithesis of a successful leader's mantra.
3. Should in-person meetings be replaced with emails?
Meetings — though often tedious — are an essential element of information sharing and organization coherence. Even when it seems the information discussed in a meeting could have just as easily been relayed in a concise email, in-person meetings are more valuable because they provide the speaker and the listener with greater context and reduce the chance for miscommunication.
4. How a 'do less' approach can help leaders lower stress, add value to business
Leaders may feel a tendency to overfill their plates with work and responsibilities, but this can have serious negative impacts on their performance and satisfaction at work. Instead of adhering to the multitude of nonessential demands that present themselves on a daily basis, the most valuable leaders are those who learn to filter their critical responsibilities ahead of the time-consuming ones that can be delegated or eliminated completely.
5. Why the most effective leaders ask questions fearlessly
People often believe leaders are supposed to know all of the answers. However wise leaders understand they cannot possibly possess all of the experience, knowledge and strategies to solve every problem on their own. Instead, they surround themselves with people who possess different backgrounds and ask questions fearlessly.
6. 5 thoughts from Quint Studer: The value of pauses, decisiveness and proper timing
In an interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Quint Studer reveals the best piece of management advice he's ever received, the biggest leadership challenges he has faced and what he sees as the most interesting issue facing healthcare leaders today.
7. Leadership lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove and Steve Jobs
Bill Gates, Andy Grove and Steve Jobs were notable leaders with distinct leadership styles. Here are five key strategies that contributed to each of their company's success: Always look ahead, make bold decisions, build ecosystems, exploit leverage and power and use a personal anchor to shape the organization.
8. How a 'get ahead or lose' approach could actually lower performance
It is human nature to be competitive — so goes the "survival of the fittest" theory of evolution — but embracing humans' compassionate side can have substantial positive effects, both in people's personal lives as well as at work. Showing others compassion as opposed to viewing them as competitors helps foster the collaboration that is necessary for effective problem solving, which is a strong predictor of organizational success.
9. 4 traits of change leaders
To lead for change, managers are most successful when they demonstrate open-mindedness, stick to the plan, collaborate across various levels of the organization and make decisions quickly and effectively.
10. 9 irrevocable office sins
Telling lies, gossiping, complaining about your job, emotional hijacking, bragging and accepting credit for someone else's work are examples of negative behaviors that may not seem like a big deal, but can produce serious consequences in your career.