Leader

12 Steps to Effective Leadership

Like most therapists, Matt got into respiratory care because he wanted to deliver hands on care to patients in need. He was good at it too, excelling at nearly every role he was assigned to at his hospital.

A couple of years ago that excellence earned him a promotion to day shift supervisor, and once again Matt stood out from the crowd, handling the logistical details necessary to keep his shift running smoothly.

So few people were surprised that after the department director left to take another job last month, the vice president over his department called him into her office and asked him if he’d like to take on the position.

Of course, said Matt. Who wouldn’t want the top job in the department and all the power and decision-making that goes along with it?

Whoa, there Matt. Those aren’t the kind of aspirations that will equal success in the department director role. Once you get to the top, it’s all about leadership, and leadership has little or nothing to do with being on top or making all the decisions yourself.

Here are 12 things the experts say you need to do to truly step up and lead –

  1. Develop a service mentality: Instead of thinking about how your staff can serve you, think about how you can help them achieve the department’s goals. First, you’ll have to know and understand what they do in the department. Then, clear any obstacles that may be keeping them from efficiently performing their jobs and meeting goals. 
  2. Mentor your top talent: Your best therapists know they’re good and they don’t plan to tread water for long. Invest some time in mentoring them to take on more responsibility and introduce them to your own professional support network as well so they’ll have even more resources to tap into as they move forward in their careers.
  3. Get out in the trenches: As much as you may be enjoying your spiffy new office, your staff is out and about and you should be too. Use these encounters to coach and train your people and provide regular feedback on their performance in real time. Spend some time getting to know them on a personal level too to show you truly care about them as people.
  4. Listen carefully: Your staff members are your best resource to learn about what’s happening in the department—what’s right and what’s wrong. Meet with them on a regular basis and listen to what they have to say about operations, etc. Then, act on any issues that affect the department’s operations. Your department will be the stronger for it.
  5. Give them some space: Nobody likes a micromanager, least of all your most capable therapists. So when you give them jobs to do, get out of their way and let them do them. You will, of course, want to make yourself available if they have questions or concerns, but let them make as many decisions as possible, especially the ones pertaining to their own daily job requirements.
  6. Set the bar high: To get the very best out of your staff, they need to know you expect the very best. Make that clear to them, and then facilitate their ability to deliver on it.
  7. Bring out the best: Look closely at each of your staff members and try to identify his or her potential. Help them build confidence in their abilities, and as they acquire the skills and confidence to do more, find ways to let them do it.
  8. Inspire passion and embrace change: Understand the overall goals of your organization and convey those goals to your staff in a way that will build their passion for achieving them, even if it means changing the way they do things. Lead the way by living out your own passion for those goals in words and deeds.
  9. Be fair: Don’t play favorites among staff, and institute rules and policies that ensure everyone is treated equally. Hold yourself accountable to those same rules and policies as well.
  10. Keep your cool: True leaders don’t get mad or fly off the handle. They handle situations of adversity in a calm, cool, and collected manner, illustrating by example how they want their staff to handle such situations of their own.
  11. Advocate for what you know is right: Don’t be afraid to go to bat for your staff, and most importantly, your patients, with your superiors. Your staff will admire you for championing the initiatives or changes they feel will lead to better respiratory care.
  12. Value your team: This may be the last item on the list, but it is certainly one of the most important. Let your staff know you appreciate the work they do to provide excellent care for your patients and make sure they know that you know the department would not be able to function without them.