5 Characteristics Of A Leader

By | April 15, 2025

5 Characteristics Of A Leader – Companies succeed because of the contributions of great leaders. Within health care, skilled leaders motivate employees to perform at their best for the benefit of patients, colleagues, and the organization as a whole.

Nurse managers, physicians, and health administrators oversee teams and day-to-day operations, but may or may not be natural leaders. What makes some people stronger leaders than others? Do you want to be a great health leader? This article examines leadership in health care and identifies the qualities and skills you will need to achieve these roles.

5 Characteristics Of A Leader

5 Characteristics Of A Leader

What qualities make a health leader? ((Carol Huston, “What Defines a True Leader in Healthcare?” Today’s Telehealth Clinic, September 2018: https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/twc/articles/what-defines-true-leader-healthcare)

What Are The 5 Qualities Of A Good Leader?

When thinking about how to best prepare for a leadership role, it’s important to look beyond your accomplishments. How did you get those things? How did your peers handle this program? Great leaders make a difference throughout their organization by exhibiting the following traits and characteristics.

1. Showing humility (Derek Feeley, “Healthcare Leaders: Heroism is out, humility is in,” Institute for Healthcare Improvement, March 29, 2018: http://www.ihi.org/communities/blogs/health-care) – leaders-bravery-out-humility-in-between))

True healthcare leaders don’t look above others. Instead, they understand the inner workings of their team and understand everyone’s contribution. Leaders admit when they don’t have all the answers, show genuine respect and appreciation for their peers by asking questions and listening to their ideas. In turn, your team members reciprocate this trust and respect.

To effectively influence and lead a team effectively, healthcare leaders must be visionaries who see the big picture and set ambitious goals. By staying focused on their vision, leaders guide their team to advance their patient and business goals, as they are pulled in many directions at once.

Characteristics Of A Good Youth Leader

3. Acting as a Mentor ((Joellen Hawkins and Holly Fontenot, “Mentorship: the heart and soul of healthcare leadership”. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 2010: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229005278_Mentorship_the_heart_and_soul_of_health_care)

Good leaders are good mentors. They share knowledge and experience with their colleagues and act as role models in the organizational culture. In addition to advising their staff personally, mentors can influence the professional development of a health student. Healthcare leaders make efforts to connect with their students, provide support, connect them to resources, and help them define their career goals.

“My goal is to be a mentor or clinical coach to someone who wants to work in this field and help guide them to become the type of PT they want to be.” —Chloe O., DPT student at HS  4. Demonstrate integrity

5 Characteristics Of A Leader

A good leader knows his inner values ​​and acts according to them. This gives them credibility, not only with their colleagues but also with their patients. Being honest with patients means doing what you say you’re going to do, and this honesty helps promote healthy relationships with everyone.

Democratic Leadership Style Is The Way To Company Success

Great leaders value teamwork. They understand that an interprofessional workplace, where doctors from all disciplines work as a team and not in silos, is associated with better patient outcomes. ((Scott Reeves et al., “Interprofessional education: effects on professional performance and clinical outcomes (revision)”),” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 28 March 2013: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/ cdsr/ doi/ 10.1002 / 14651858.CD002213.pub3/)) Collaboration helps doctors agree on the best course of treatment and communicate well during patient care.

Leadership styles in health ((Abdulaziz Al-Sawai, “Leadership of health workers: where are we?” Oman Medical Journal, vol. 28, 4, July 2013: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC3725246/))

In an article in the Oman Medical Journal, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Sawai explains that many leadership theories were developed in business settings and later applied to health. Because health systems are large organizations made up of many departments, teams, and specialties, leadership must develop their multidisciplinary team and put their various skills to work to provide better patient care.

With that in mind, Al-Sawai suggests that the following leadership styles can be changed in healthcare settings to improve management in large organizations.

Key Qualities Successful Project Managers Have In Common

This type of leadership involves strong communication with colleagues to help them make their own informed decisions. Collaboration is a collaborative and affirmative process in which managers and physicians work together to meet organizational goals. As a health care leader, you must be the first to model collaborative behavior, such as promoting and encouraging collaboration between professionals in all disciplines.

Transformational leaders emphasize a sense of mission and empower others to achieve it together. They communicate their vision to the team in a way that encourages performance beyond expectations, where everyone shares their vision and works towards a common goal.

Sometimes leaders are forced to make difficult organizational decisions that may appear to favor some employees over others. Amidst these challenges, an effective health care leader must operate on a formal basis, treating each employee fairly and with respect.

5 Characteristics Of A Leader

When communication gaps develop between professionals, conflicts can arise. In these situations, an effective healthcare leader finds a way to resolve conflicts and create a positive outcome. This may include strategies for compromise, mediation, negotiation, and improved communication to resolve problems and restore harmony.

What Does Leadership Mean?

Essential Skills for Health Care Leadership (Charles Hargett et al., “Developing an Effective Leadership Model in Health Care: A Conceptual Framework.” Journal of Health Care Leadership vol. 9 69-78. 28, August 2017: https://www. .ncbi .nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5774455/))

It takes a unique set of skills to be a leader in the healthcare industry. Effective leadership can help you turn a struggling team into a successful one. Developing the following basic workplace skills can help you become a true health leader and contribute better to the team. In an article in the Journal of Healthcare Leadership, an analysis of effective healthcare leadership identifies the following critical skills.

Listening and learning are important. Another way to embody an effective leader is to strengthen your communication with your colleagues and patients. Effective communication in nursing and other medical professionals builds trust between you and your patient, improves patient satisfaction, and reduces medical errors. ((The Joint Commission, “Inadequate Communication of Provision,” Sentinel Event Alert, 12 September 2017: https://www.jointcommission.org/-/media/tjc/documents/resources/patient-safety-topics/ sentinel – event/ sea_58_hand_off_comms_9_6_17_final_(1).pdf)

Emotional intelligence, also called “emotional quotient” or “EQ,” is the ability to understand one’s own and others’ emotions and respond positively. A leader with high equity sets the tone for the entire team by showing empathy, improving communication, and reducing conflict. In conflict situations, leaders ensure that their responses are not emotionally charged, instead using their empathic skills to understand the other party’s point of view. This helps maintain mutual respect. ((Jeanne Segal, et al, “Improving Emotional Intelligence (EQ)”) HelpGuide, last updated July 2021: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/emotional-intelligence-eq.htm #:~ :text=intellectual%20emotional%20))

Top 5 Leadership Qualities To Prepare You For Success

Leaders must use their problem-solving skills to make good decisions under pressure. Especially in health care, leaders must remain calm during difficult situations, maintain the flexibility to think creatively and take decisive action when traditional measures do not work.

Time Management ((Shalini Nayak, “Time Management in Nursing: The Hour of Need” International Journal of Caring Sciences, December 2018: http://www.internationaljournalofcaringssciences.org/docs/72_nayak_special_11_3_2.pdf)

A good healthcare leader understands the importance of time management skills to maintain productivity and patient care. When multiple tasks are urgent, leaders know what to prioritize and when to hand it off to another team member.

5 Characteristics Of A Leader

Finally, leaders must be ready to adapt to new situations. In a complex industry where external factors like the COVID-19 pandemic can change business models overnight, flexibility helps leaders pivot when needed and stay on track to meet organizational goals. Technological advances continue to transform healthcare; good leaders embrace and adapt to these changes.

Good Leadership Practices • Sprigghr

As the healthcare industry grows, so does the need for more leaders. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow by 32% between 2019 and 2029. , 2021: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical- and-health- services-managers.htm))

This growing demand, in addition to continuous technological advances, should encourage institutions to cultivate leadership skills among their employees through professional development and training programs, as discussed below.

As healthcare technology advances, employees may feel pressured to keep up. One way to ensure your smooth transition into a leadership role is through training programs. In a leadership development study, the majority of participants who attended the training agreed that they felt more confident, knowledgeable and empowered in their leadership roles. In their efforts to provide advice and positive feedback, organizations can establish career guidance programs, encourage employees to attend conferences, and support their continuing education.

Another way to develop leadership skills is to get your degree in a degree such as health care administration, within a program that offers a specialization in executive leadership. The University of St. Augustine Health Sciences (HS) offers graduate programs for physicians and health administrators who want to improve their leadership skills, better understand health policy, and advance their careers. The following programs focus on leadership development for health workers:

Understanding The Trait Theory Of Leadership

If your goal is to play a leadership role in your organization, check out the degree options above to determine which one is right for you. Leadership roles in healthcare offer many opportunities to make a positive difference to colleagues, patients and the workplace.

HS offers a Master of Health Administration (MHA)