Good leaders in HITM (Healthcare Information Technology Management) help guide us and make the tough calls that keep technology in healthcare moving forward.
Determining the outcome of positively moving forward, is the leader’s ability to recognize if their actions will impact others in a beneficial or harmful way.
As workplace professionals, we can spot a bad leader almost immediately. Our society has proven quite adept at this. The question here is can we spot a good leader and what is it exactly that would make a good leader in healthcare?
Positive HITM Leadership requires three core leadership qualities. They force action (focus), they provide direction (vision), and they inspire (character). From these three qualities, all aspects of leadership are derived. Let’s break them down individually to explain.
The first Core Leadership Quality is Focus. Self-Awareness, to look within oneself and listen to your inner voice. Those who heed their inner voice ultimately make better decisions as they will use this connection with your ‘real self’ to elicit resources or clarity in decision making. It is a concept not easily explained so let’s dive into an example here. Emotional Intelligence begins with self-awareness.
Pay careful attention to your bodies internal signals. These are physiological changes, very subtle, that your brain does notice with concentration. This area of your brain, tucked behind your frontal lobes is known as the insula. Sit still and tune into the insula by focusing on your heartbeat. With practice, you will recognize this and other “stories” your body tells you. Often referred to as your ‘gut feeling’, the insula, working with the amygdala, are the root of why something ‘feels’ right or wrong.
The second Core Leadership Quality is Vision. Make a draft of your goal(s). Share with others. Refine it using feedback and support your vision with commitment and inspiration that moves you personally.
Now try it out with colleagues. Ask your colleagues/team to create a vision and share with each other. This will definitely build trust as you discover how to capitalize on what drives each individual and use strength in diversity as a major competence.
Communication is the ultimate key to this qualities’ success. Strive to deliver messages that inspire, motivate, reassure, and, when required, direct. Positive delivery, placing a high value on two-way communication, meet often if needed, over communicate and choosing the right words by knowing your audience will support your Vision. Your Team vision should be displayed in common areas/departments prominently, not sitting off to the side. Frequent reminders of why the vision exists (in meetings or events) will help keep the message alive. Celebrate all accomplishments of the vision to keep morale high within your team.
The third Core Leadership Quality is Character. Respectfulness of others and your beliefs, fairness, cooperation, compassion and humility are the traits you use to bring out this skill.
Those who share these traits authentically from within are true leaders. Practicing and developing these qualities daily are a first step to becoming a strong leader.
The self-discipline and courage of taking action on your vision, the passion used to achieve acceptance of your goals, brought forth by the wisdom and competence gained from experience will be used to transform the strength of your leadership.
The social conscience of your leadership character is brought forward by being mindful of your integrity, honesty, loyalty and selflessness as a leader.
Learn to use the core qualities above according to your teams dynamic. Develop the core skills to respond to varying needs for your teams or as individuals. Take the time to build your understanding of each of your individual team members so that you can meet their needs. There are always opportunities to support the three core qualities of leadership.
For example, I have benefitted from the following specific accomplishments to underscore my commitment to my healthcare leadership teams.
• PMP (Project Management Professional certification)
o The ability to deliver solutions as a leader, within budget while leading teams through unexpected obstacles.
• CHP (Certified HIPAA Professional)
o Understanding the business of compliance and its effects on how healthcare technology will be strategically implemented to support the organization. This understanding is critical in your vision to be shared with your team.
The success of the above certifications is dependent on your ability to focus, visualize and commit. These core qualities are found in leadership goals. They are necessary to ensure your team remains on track to accomplish daily tasks or projects assigned.
Employees are naturally drawn to great leaders, as they impart a strong sense of self-confidence. Your confidence conveys a sense of calm during turbulent times, and great leaders do not waver once they commit to a course of action. Making smart use of the three core qualities above will define your success.
Leaders more accustomed to giving input rather than being attentive will have trouble with any of the above. Be wary of the ‘noise’ distracting the path to achieving your vision. Leaders who stay true to their personal values are known to succeed better in the long run. You must believe in and practice these three Leadership Qualities and be aware that the outcome will benefit yourself, those around you and others you may not meet, without negative impact or consequences.
