Introduction
Leadership is a vital management concept that enables physicians to conduct their roles in health care sector effectively. This is because in addition to medical responsibilities, physicians regularly serve also as leaders and sponsors at the personal, community, and public ranks. They are trusted with offering insightful perspectives that are useful even outside the medical scope practice. This implies that, as respected members of the community and healthcare system, physicians have the opportunity to get engaged and make a difference at any management level. They discharge various duties in their career positions; hence, efficient leadership will influence favourable administration and treatment. Although physicians engage in numerous responsibilities of discharging Medicare to patients, they possess attributes of good leaders to govern institutions.
Attributes that a leader must possess to create and lead an organization
In the previous years, hospitals were managed by the chief executive officers (CEOs) because physicians were busy and incapable of managing hospitals. However, this notion changed because doctors are the better placed individuals to manage hospitals as they understand all the crucial aspects in the various departments. This is due to the actuality that placing physicians in leadership positions results to improved hospital performance and patient care (McKenna, Pugno & Frist, 2006).
A leader is stimulated with the duty of ensuring the achievement of organizational goals according to the earlier plans. Leaders should take responsibilities in overseeing and supervising the junior staffs to facilitate efficient completion of targets. Hence, leaders need to possess certain attributes that will ensure they coordinate and motivate other health practitioners at their institutions. For instance, a leader should be able to a good communicator. This is because communication is a crucial aspect in an institution since it facilitates the delivery of instructions and guidelines to workers. Physicians are always good communicators since they relate with many patients on a regular basis. As a consequence, they possess effective communication skills and the ability to convey essential messages to the public (Manning & Curtis, 2003).
Another attribute of a physician must possess to lead a hospital is the ability to delegate duties and take responsibilities. This implies that a leader should be able to assign duties and responsibilities to the junior health officers. This shall be an applicable if the leader understands the capabilities of the junior staffs in meeting deadlines. Appropriate means of delegation results in the success of the team and specialization of duties. However, if delegation practice does not achieve results, then the leader should take responsibilities and be accountable for the challenges. This means that a leader should bear the burden of institutions in times of organizational crisis (McKenna, Pugno & Frist, 2006).
Therefore, a good leader should also be a risk taker. This ability is accompanied with confidence in decisions making and tackling issues. A good leader, in this situation, should implement policies that are new even if they pose greater risks than the normal practices. The constant need for an invention is one of the crucial leadership qualities. For instance, a physician can start initiatives of administering medication at the village centres instead of centralizing operations at a crowded hospital. This helps the physician leader to understand the urgent needs of the community that they serve and be in tune with modern challenges that might arise. Good leaders reject to allow customs and limits described, by society, to control their actions or plans. Everything is conceivable for a noble leader, in spite of the difficult and bumpy means to getting there. Risk taking is also applicable when setting targets that are demanding to achieve. A leader should aim for the challenging and risky challenges since learning from such mistakes equips them to handle any risks in the future (Aquinas, 2006).
A leader in a health care institution should be capable of motivating and inspiring junior staff members. Leaders who are capable of inspiring others to excel in their duties normally cope with the staffs. Some staffs need inspirations to enable them achieve their full potentials at work. This is because if a leader is lazy at work station then the other workers will also be demoralized. This is the most essential feature of a leader to encourage others. Success of a team is fulfilled with appropriate motivation and encouragement from the management. Therefore, motivation and inspiration results from a cohesive and coordinated team work. Team leaders are always role models to the other members, and this helps in accomplishing goals. Team work is significant because it helps in the inculcation of good group spirit within the participants of a team. This involves selection of smart individuals and training them to work effectively towards ensuring that goals are fulfilled (Burton & American College of Physician Executives, 2008).
Additionally, a good leader needs to be confident with his or her decisions. The courage of a group depends upon that of the team leader and any mistake identified should be handled with confidence. This means a leader should have good faith in the abilities of the entire team even if faults are prudent. This will also encourage team members to approach their leader in case of emerging problems. Therefore, a confident leader should always stand strong in his or her decision that, even when there is something wrong in the execution of the activity. Confidence enables patients to overcome their health complications even if doctors and relatives lose hope in them. A leader should keep on encouraging the patient to fight on despite the unbearable condition. On the other hand, a physician should also show confidence when administering medication to such patients (Wolper, 2011).
Conclusion
Leadership is an ability that can be practiced by people from all professions including physicians provided they possess essential attributes of leadership. Recruitment agencies should not depend on management professors at the expense of physicians because of their busy schedules. There are a number of benefits towards maintaining similar staffs as leaders in their institutions. For instance, there is a reduction of costs, which could be incurred when hiring other people. Therefore, management should look for salient features that a make a good leader and capitalise on them by hiring such physicians to be managers. For instance, a good leader should be a good communicator, risk taker, confident, team leader, and motivator and have the ability to delegate duties. For example, communication is vital because it helps in delivery of instructions and guidelines to the nurses in assisting patients. Delegation of duties especially at intensive care units requires a sober leader who understands the abilities of all the staffs to avoid unnecessary mistakes. These are essential characteristics that will ensure proper administration of hospitals and patient’s requirements. Hospitals and health centres are sensitive areas that require good leadership to avoid cases of negligence when discharging treatments.
References
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Burton, R., & American College of Physician Executives. (2008). The physician leader’s
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Manning, G., & Curtis, K. (2003). The art of leadership. Boston, Mass: McGraw-
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McKenna, M. K., Pugno, P. A., & Frist, W. H. (2006). Physicians as leaders: Who, how, and
why now?. Abingdon: Radcliffe.
Wolper, L. F. (2011). Health care administration: managing organized delivery systems (5th
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