What is Leadership?
Change before you have to.
- Jack Welch, CEO and Chairman of General Electric, 1981-2001
A decade ago, a management workshop I attended defined leadership as the ability to ethically influence the behavior of others. That's pretty good. But if your hospital is undergoing change, it may be trying to--or may be forced to--redefine leadership.
Of course, the if is really when in today's environment. When a shortage occurs. When reimbursement changes. When market share dwindles. So, when it happens, how ready do you have to be for change, and is change integral to your concept of leadership?
You may think I'm referring to your hospital CEO and division directors. Consider that each of us is really a leader. We all have influence. We each make change succeed or fail.
Here is an interesting essay describing a leader as a change agent. Leadership implies movement, intention and values-based decisions. Circumstances can necessitate redefining values, the moral and ethical basis for decisions. It's one thing for your hospital to change its values statement, but what about your laboratory values? Will significant change bring new values?
It seems hard to believe a laboratory may shift away from a value of quality results, but the emerging model of patients as consumers may make customer service a greater priority. That can change everything from specimen collection (think home draws) to report distribution (think custom reports).
Your laboratory may have one manager but likely has several leaders. These people who wield influence in the group are your agents of change. And if a leader is seen as not only an agent but an anticipator of change, then she can inspire as well as lead. It's best to do so before you have to.