Leadership: The Role Of Leadership In Health Care

The Role of Leadership In Health Care
Leadership is often described as the behavior of an individual when directing the activities of a group of people with a shared goal (Al-Sawai, 2013). It can be difficult to examine leadership in the context of health care, because research and theories of leadership were created in a business environment. These leadership styles are then applied in a health care framework, which has its own unique complexities (Al-Sawai, 2013).
The complexity of the health care system provides a unique dilemma for leaders. Health care systems are multi-dimensional; composed of numerous specialties, professional areas, and multidisciplinary interests who often have conflicting goals. Great leadership needs to capitalize on the diversity within health care organizations, efficiently utilize resources when designing management processes, and encourage personnel in diverse health areas to work towards common goals (AL-Sawai, 2013). A number of leadership approaches can be adapted to the healthcare setting to optimize management in this unique and complex environment.
Multiple Approaches to Health Care Leadership
In today’s health care organizations, a constant culture shift due to increased consumer expectancy, aging population, globalization and technological advancement has provided 21st century leaders with an amazing opportunity to transform traditional top down leadership to contemporary leaderships styles that encourage communication and development of a health care systems (Vilegi-Peters, 2010) Transformational, Servant, and Level 5 leadership styles are all relevant and implemented in today’s health care systems. An analysis of these types of leadership indicates that these three styles all serve a...

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...anagement, including accounting, finance and billing. As I climb in my career I aspire to be a transformational leader, inspiring those I manage to achieve goals they never thought possible. I have had the honor to have worked for amazing female managers, nurses, and doctors, all who I admired greatly. As a result, I desired to prove myself to them, and I produced work I was proud of. Now, I hope to do the dame for others in the health care field.
Moving into a non-profit health care organization, servant leadership is a more common style, one that I find difficult to balance. I hope in the future to develop active listening and find skill in putting others before my own goals, while providing transformational leadership to the staff who report to me. In the vast array of health care systems, a variety of leadership styles are not only common but necessary.