People often asked whether leaders are born or made has been frequently asked. Research shows one out of three leaders is born a leader. Leadership is defined as the effective direction, leadership, or influence of an organization or a group of people (Rabiul et al., 2021). Effective leadership relies on complex skills attained through various encounters and training that shape how one leads people.
However, some inborn traits shape one’s leadership skills. Successful leaders do the right thing at the right time regardless of their leadership style. Courage and self-consciousness are among the best traits that define good leadership, in addition to vital trait support of the subordinate groups. Along with risk-taking and boldness, emotional intelligence is another crucial trait in leadership (Rabiul et al., 2021). Emotional intelligence is the ability of a leader to understand social situations and how subordinate groups feel about various situations and incorporate effective solutions.
In a healthcare administration setting, leadership is beyond administration. A charismatic persona and an unwavering vision are the top attributes of a successful healthcare administration leader. A healthcare leader must develop a mission for their healthcare facility and communicate it with the staff, so they work together for a common goal (Rabiul et al., 2021). The leader must also have practical and reliable problem-solving abilities to create a conducive and fast-running working environment. Leaders in a healthcare setting must keep up with the evolving digital and technological advances in healthcare and maintain high levels of integrity (Rabiul et al., 2021). Various leadership styles in healthcare administrations uniquely define a healthcare facility from another by the unique styles adopted by each facility.
Servant leadership, authoritarian leadership, and transformational leadership are among the leadership styles organizational leaders adopt to govern and run their facilities. Servant leadership would be more effective in a healthcare system than transformational and authoritarian styles (Catania et al., 2020). The traits of leadership associated with servant leadership are primarily empathy and self-consciousness. Servant leadership is based on understanding the needs of others, in this case, healthcare subordinate staff, and providing relatable solutions. A healthcare administration leader using the servant leadership style must align their behavior with those they expect from other staff (Catania et al., 2020). For example, they must apply emotional intelligence in attending to situations of urgency and crisis. Leaders must incorporate themselves into arising issues to comprehend them and provide practical and desirable solutions.
For example, a leader would not consider a servant leadership style to lead a military group in a military administration. A military leader would decide to apply a transformational leadership style (Catania et al., 2020). Transformational leadership style is influential in that the leader influences the followers to follow certain routes or take up specific positions. Followers of transformational leaders must develop confidence and trust in their leader for them to follow his guidelines. For example, a production company would take up an autocratic leadership style in a business setting and not transformational leadership. Autocratic leaders give instructions without involving the staff in decision-making (Catania et al., 2020). The leader needs to give employees a chance to voice their opinions but expects them to follow instructions within the allocated timelines.
In a healthcare administration, leaders cannot adopt an autocratic leadership style because they cannot predict the new cases of illnesses they admit daily. As the result, various patients suffer from various conditions, and their bodies react indifferently (Heyler & Martin, 2018). Therefore, a leader cannot issue instructions that are used on all patients. With the servant leadership style, leaders identify with the patients and attend to each patient with empathy and emotional intelligence.
Leadership Theories, Traits, and Styles
Leadership theories are the descriptions of why and how people become and executive leadership skills. Leadership styles are the modes of leadership applied by various leaders depending on their industry and their followers. Leadership traits are the characteristics considered vital for effective leadership (Cheong et al., 2018). Behavioral theory that focuses on how leaders behave, emphasizing that other leaders can copy leadership traits.
This theory suggests that leadership skills are acquired over time through experiences, and leadership is not inborn (Rabiul et al., 2021). In servant leadership, empathy and creating a relationship with other staff is an essential trait closely related to behavioral theory emphasizing people-oriented leadership. In this case, healthcare leader should sharpen their behaviors first so they can be people-oriented by connecting to the issue and providing necessary solutions.
The second leadership theory relevant to healthcare administration is the participative theory. This theory suggests that leaders should involve their followers actively in decision-making (Rabiul et al., 2021). This leadership theory creates a motivating environment for employees as they can voice their opinions and are sure to be heard. In a healthcare setting, this theory is applicable in that healthcare professionals can consult among themselves on specific conditions of patients and come up with relevant best solutions (Cheong et al., 2018). If doctors on particular health issues consult nurses, they would feel safe and appreciated, which motivates them to continue providing the best healthcare services.
The concept theory is relationship theory, in which leaders are more invested in creating a valuable relationship with their employees. In most cases, they schedule meetings to discuss the issues arising and provide solutions for the company and the employees. Relationship leadership is a significant leadership theory in a healthcare administration, requiring consistent collaboration between leaders and subordinates to provide quality healthcare services. An essential advantage of relationship management is that leaders usually get the best results from their employees (Rabiul et al., 2021). A leader invested in relationship leadership welcomes new workers, takes them through how the organization runs, and opens an environment for discussing rising issues.
In a healthcare facility, relationship leadership is essential for maintaining employees for long periods, as they feel safe in that environment. Leaders that adopt the relationship theory style get the best results, which is an essential factor in a healthcare facility (Cheong et al., 2018). Employees offer the best healthcare services and work towards providing better healthcare for patients. I prefer working with a leader who supports the employer-employee relationship as I would feel safe discussing my opinions and, give out credible results for the company. There are essential leadership traits that should be adopted by leaders, particularly in a healthcare administration, for maximum governance and accomplishing their vision and mission.
The Whole-Person Model
The whole person model includes the whole person, community health, and integrated care. The whole person includes social, professional, physical, spiritual, psychological, and emotional intelligence (Heyler & Martin, 2018). Community health is the integration of community aid means for the well-being of an individual. Integrated care means effective appointment meetings where a person’s needs are attended to in one setting (Rabiul et al., 2021). In my aspiration to become a leader, I would select the aspect of emotional intelligence to influence my leadership skills.
With emotional intelligence, I would have to work on my character and personality to resonate with fellow and subordinate workers. I would then need to be empathetic in dealing with issues brought to me, which is the best way of leadership as I would have to connect with people personally to understand their needs and offer them the right services. Community health is a component of enhancing my growth as a leader. I would incorporate various specialists to help me offer the best services to people. For example, I would refer patients with different conditions to relevant specialists and offer a follow-up program to monitor patients’ progress.
The president of the Cleveland Clinic, Tomislav Mihaljevic, talks about executive leadership skills he applied in Cleveland to ensure physicians cost-effective and quality healthcare. Tomislav describes physicians as collaborative in executing healthcare services instead of functioning individually. This aspect, he describes, enables the patients to access various specialists, a patient-oriented move that has upgraded the facility to a world-class level (Cheong et al., 2018). The caregivers continuously adapt to changes executed by the president of the facility as advances in healthcare developments. Tomislav emphasizes that he first works on himself and acts with integrity traits, followed by other physicians (Rabiul et al., 2021). He expresses that leadership is essential for the success of any organization.
Lessons in Leadership
There are two lessons in leadership traits that I resonate with, and I would embrace and apply them in my journey to becoming an effective healthcare provider leader. The first lesson I approve of from the leadership lessons is communication. I understand that communication is not just speaking but listening. I would understand their needs through meetings and consistent discussions and create a better working environment. Secondly, I would embrace working on myself professionally and maintaining integrity so that I can be a source of inspiration to other staff. I would work on my emotional intelligence and increase my productivity in the facility so the subordinate could emulate my traits. Together, we create a patient-friendly best healthcare provider and patient-oriented facility.
References
Catania, G., Zanini, M., Hayter, M., Timmins, F., Dasso, N., Ottonello, G., Aleo, G., Sasso, L., & Bagnasco, A. (2020). Lessons from Italian front‐line nurses’ experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(3). Web.
Cheong, M., Yammarino, F. J., Dionne, S. D., Spain, S. M., & Tsai, C.-Y. (2018). A review of the effectiveness of empowering leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1). Web.
Heyler, S. G., & Martin, J. A. (2018). Servant leadership theory: opportunities for additional theoretical integration. Journal of Managerial Issues, 30(2), 230–243. Web.
Rabiul, M. K., Patwary, A. K., Mohamed, A. E., & Rashid, H. (2021). Leadership styles, psychological factors, and employee commitment to service quality in the hotel industry. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 23(4), 1–29. Web.
Ward, E., & Swanson, C. (2020). The impact of the theory of nursing for the whole person on the professional practice of nursing school graduates. Journal of Christian Nursing, 37(2), 117–112. Web.