This past Friday we had an ACHE event at UNH called "Shaping the Future: Leadership and Public Policy in Healthcare." This event included a panel of healthcare executives talking to us about various topics involving leadership in healthcare. One of the things that stuck out the most to me was when they talked about the importance of creating good relationships with the people around you. They emphasized the fact that you can never do anything alone, and that even if you come up with an idea by yourself, you will always need a group of people behind you to help make it happen. Healthcare is extremely collaborative, and it is imperative that a staff can successfully work together in order to get things done.
As a leader, I think it is important to always know your strengths and what you are really good at. Along with this, you also need to know what your weaknesses are and what you will need help with in order to get something done. This idea really stuck with me personally because I know that I am a perfectionist and always want to be able to do everything on my own. For example, in group projects, I tend to be the person that tries to take on everything and make sure it is done perfectly. One thing I have been working on this year is acknowledging the fact that others may be better at some things than I am, and that is okay. Being able to work with others and form relationships where you can acknowledge each other's strengths and weaknesses and work together towards a common goal is a skill that is imperative in not only healthcare, but any work environment. In order to be a good manager, you need to be aware of what your staff is capable of and having trust in them that they know what they're doing and that they will do the right thing.
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ReplyDeleteRelationships and networking are very powerful tools, well worth the investments of time and energy to create and sustain them. Even though some departments in hospitals have very little interaction or overlap on a day-to-day basis (for example, Pharmacy and Physical Therapy; Lab and Xray, etc), you never know when you and another department head might need to collaborate on a team project, on a budget problem, on a facility renovation/expansion, etc. Already having an informal relationship with other department heads can really smooth the waters when suddenly you need a favor, or will be working together for a while. Try not to exist just within the silo of your department; get out and meet people at your workplace. You never know ... a few years down the road one of those folks might be the hiring manager at a different facility where you've submitted an application.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, may I suggest also knowing your personality type as measured by the Meyer-Briggs test? While it's not a perfect tool, it might shed insight on how you can maximize your productivity.
Perhaps your university counseling office administers this test free to students. Mine did. If yours doesn't, perhaps approach the Psychology Department. My psychology department gave this test free to interested students, administered by graduate students in Psychometrics. See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Type_Indicator
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great event! Relationships are so important in your career. It is important to be able to connect with people and be "friends" with as many folks at work as you can, because it makes working with someone a lot easier and enjoyable. It's also important because people will be more accountable to you if they respect you. Often, you will be in charge of getting a project done that requires people who don't report to you to be involved. It is important to have good relationships with people so that they are motivated to be involved.
The strengths vs weaknesses debate is common, but there is a lot of research that now shows that it is better to focus on your STRENGTHS so that you become known for being really good at certain things and can rise to the top in those areas. Then, when you get to higher roles you are able to surround yourself with other people who have strengths in what you are weak in.