Leadership
Inspirational. Charismatic. Empowering. These are a few of the aspirational terms used to describe “leaders” in the business and healthcare literature. These terms describe the result of some behaviors which are vaguely called “leadership”. A recent Google search for “examples of leadership” retrieved 9.8 million citations in 0.42 seconds. Yet for all that has been written about leaders and leadership, there is surprisingly little which is either empirically-based or has withstood the test of time through repeated, reliable implementation.
Making change stick
At its most basic level, leadership is about change. Today’s healthcare environment demands change, as regulations, economics, human resources, and payments go through the most dramatic change in four decades. The Summer Leadership Conference, July 27 – 31 2015 will look at how leaders in healthcare, and long-term / post-acute care can successfully navigate, and manage change which endures. Join us and a select few of your colleagues to learn about the myths and facts of leadership.
Myths about leadership
And there appears to be general assumptions about what a leader “looks like” which are fundamentally untrue; like urban myths about leadership. The first myth is that leaders are gregarious and outgoing. Recent research has clearly shown that extroversion and leadership are not necessarily correlated. Introverts, through thoughtful relationship building and careful planning our often outstanding leaders, providing a steady hand at the helm of many battered business vessels.
Are leaders born or made?
Another widespread assumption is that, “You’ve got it or you don’t”. In other words, leaders are born rather than made. This too appears to be a myth built in part upon the charisma error, which assumes that because extroverts command attention and generate followership are born leaders.
What is “leadership”?
Attempting to determine the behaviors and processes which comprise leadership is an extremely important undertaking in this time of tumultuous change in healthcare. Leadership, contrary to popular myth, has been and can be learned by a wide array of individuals and personality types – even introverts. Contrary to popular images, leaders are often not brazen, but thoughtful and quiet. Leadership is evidenced by presence and visibility not by noise and attention seeking. Leaders come from all walks of life, personality types and profiles.
Join us
Register today for “Making Change Stick: Leadership Management & Motivation”, The Summer Leadership Conference in Bermuda, July 27 – 31 at the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda. A beautiful setting for a challenging program jointly sponsored by the New York Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Administrators and the New York State Health Facilities Association. Members of both organizations are eligible for discounts.