Chiropractic Principles: Leadership- Styles and identity
Leadership is a multifaceted process by which an individual provides influence to others to achieve a common goal (1). It is important to have a clear and concise philosophy regarding leadership and what it entails. Personally, I view leadership as a title given to one who guides, yet challenges others to accomplish more then they ever thought possible. This philosophy of leadership always incorporates my beliefs, attitudes and values. Values can be described as deeply held views that act as guiding principles for individuals and organisations (2). Values provide an avenue for those members in a group to understand the vision that their organization is working towards and the values they must follow to guide them towards achievement and success. This eliminates any doubts or concerns that members of the organization may have regarding what the organization stands for (2). As healthcare professionals, this is important in order to respond to the needs of others with care and compassion and strive to provide the best care possible.
As a leader, it is not only important to maintain a positive attitude, but to also be motivated and hardworking. It is crucial for leaders to lead by example as others look up to you for advice and guidance. Leadership development is vital because organizations take on the personality of their leaders. Leadership training and development can maximize productivity, shape a positive culture and promote harmony within an organization. To achieve this, key individuals who posses certain attributes must lead members using an appropriate leadership style. I believe it is important to see challenges or problems as opportunities and something to overcome. If one has an optimistic view on situations, then they are more likely to remain motivated to accomplish the task at hand. This has an influence on those you are working with as it can inspire others to work towards goals and to see challenges as opportunities for growth and development. By seeing these cases as something to overcome and by being internally motivated to help others, we as chiropractors will be able to provide better patient centered care.
My philosophy of leadership has grown and adapted over the years, as I have taken on different types of leadership roles in different environments. One of my first leadership roles was being the captain of my university football team. This experience along with being a manager at a previous job has allowed me to develop and evolve my philosophy of leadership. By taking on these different roles, I have learned to understand that it is important to adapt my leadership style based on the environment and members I am leading. I believe this is the biggest and most important change to my philosophy of leadership, which has ultimately allowed me to perform better as a leader. Not only has this helped me personally, but has also aided to inspire others to develop their own leadership roles.
There are different frameworks that describe the ways that people lead. I believe that the approach I take in leadership takes a charismatic style. Charismatic leaders are those with the ability to inspire, energize and motivate their team members (3). Having the ability to create excitement and enthusiasm within members I feel is an enormous benefit for any leader. (3). As previously discussed, leadership is not a ‘one size fits all’ concept. One must adapt their approach to fit the situation. As with any leadership style there are positives and negatives associated characteristic that may also inhibit a leader. Although inspiring team members to do their very best and achieve stellar results is a very good thing, charismatic leaders tend to believe in themselves more than the team, and this can create the risk that a project might collapse should that leader leave it. Also, charismatic leaders often believe they can do no wrong and may not listen when others warn of problems. As a healthcare professional, and leader I hope to positively impact the lives of others by improving their health and guiding them to a path of optimal functioning and well being. I want to inspire those that I work with to provide the best form of patient centered care.
References:
1. Ciolfi, M. CP1101 Leadership [powerpoint]. 2015 [cited 16 April 2016].
2. Pendleton, D., King, J. Values and leadership. BMJ. 2002; 325(7376): 1352 – 1355. [cited 16 April 2016] available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124807/
3. Mind Tools Ltd. Leadership styles: Choosing the right approach for the situation. 1996-2016. [cited 16 April 2016) Available from: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm
