LEADERSHIP POWER-POINT 14

THE ABC's OF LEADERSHIP
For the next few weeks, i will try to articulate a comprehensive concept of leadership in alphabetical order. For this purpose, i have titled this piece "THE ABC's OF LEADERSHIP? I hope to serialize and present three of the alphabeth acronyms for leadership every day until we get to 'Z'. The leadership ideas presented are eclectically developed and i believe that you will find them thought provoking and useful. Happy reading


Attitude & accountability. Attitude is an important leadership characteristic. This does not mean that the leader needs a "holier than thou attitude", but rather that the leader posses the character, vision, and drive to be an effective leader. This is more along the lines of the "can do" attitude and the ability to successfully manage change. For example, if a project is terminated due to financial constraints, leaders will not take this personally. Nor will they "act out" as a result. Rather, leaders will recognize that not all projects will be completed and that a variety of factors, both within and outside of their control, may influence the project's success or demise.

Accountability. Leaders accept responsibility for their behaviors. They are also accountable for the outcomes of their teams. When there are successes, leaders share the success with the team. When things do not proceed as planned, leaders still support their teams as the group looks for solutions. Leaders are also integral players when exploring what can be done to make changes occur so that similar unsuccessful events do not repeat. Leaders recognize that errors will occur. How the leader reacts to the error can influence the team's next steps, as well as the team's perception of the leader.

Behavior & Best practice. Leaders display behaviors that instill confidence in their teams. This includes confident decision-making and the ability to accept or at least share responsibility for success and failures. For example, as a leader, it is crucial to be on time for meetings, to respect other's opinions, and to be able to maintain objectivity. A leader's ability to "act" as a leader does impact team members. Apathetic and non-committing leaders will not instill confidence in teams. How a leader reacts and responds to challenges often sets the precedence for team members. If they perceive that the leader is overwhelmed, stressed, or otherwise loosing effectiveness, team members may in turn become distracted.

Best practices. Leaders should constantly strive for the optimal performance. This includes the performance of themselves, the company's teams, and all staff. Best practices is frequently involved with this. While the details of best practices exceed the scope of this discussion, they can be summarized as applying practices that are external to your own organization. Depending on the organization, it may also include best practices from different departments located within your organization.

Collaboration. The ability of a leader to collaborate with internal and external colleagues is critical. This can also be referred to as the "politics" of healthcare. From an internal perspective, collaboration assists with creating and maintaining relationships within the organization. This is important on a variety of levels, including consensus-building, mentoring opportunities, and obtaining resources for projects. Externally the same principles apply: the ability to collaborate with external resources reflects on one's ability to work with a variety of individuals in a variety of scenarios.