Leadership I:Behavior and StylesArmed Forces Academy of Health

Sciences lesson

Objectives• List, describe, and provide examples of key

leadership characteristics including traits, skills, attitudes, and behaviors

• Describe various styles of leadership, and focus on the most appropriate use of each style (e.g., coercive, authoritative, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and coaching).

*Discuss the effectiveness of each style in the Afghan setting.

Module Outline

• I. Leadership Characteristics

• II. Leadership Styles

I. Leadership Characteristics

Importance of leadership

Leadership CustomersSystems/ Processes

Human Resources

Strategy

Importance of leadership

• Strategy– Mission– Vision– Values– Goals / Objectives

• Human Resources– Staffing Levels– Motivation– Coaching/Mentoring– Training/

Development

• Customers– Patients– Community– Superior Officers

• Process/Systems– Patient Flow– Supply Chain

Management– Information

Systems– Medical Technology

Shift in Leadership Qualities

• Leaders are expected to do many things – Set strategy– Implement change– Motivate staff

• The current environment has created new expectations and demands.

• Thus, what worked in the past may not be appropriate today.

Leadership Characteristics

OLD THINKING NEW PHILOSOPHY

Individual Goals Organizational perspective

Directing Coaching

Telling Facilitating dialogue

Protecting turf Building relationships

Function manager Corporate leader

Employee as expendable Employee as precious

Pressure and overwork Perspective and balance

Leadership Traits I• 1. Stewardship / “Followership”

– Upholding military values, principles, and goals

– Meeting the health needs of your unit (being “in service” to your unit)

– Being a “servant leader” by anticipating, recognizing, and meeting staff needs, insuring that they are supported and have what is necessary to be effective in their job

– Examples:• Asking: “What can I do so you can be more effective?” (Gladly

offering assistance to subordinates)

• Respecting and involving others in decision making

Leadership Traits II

• 2. Servant Leader– Focuses on the mission of the organization

– Avoids selfish behavior and pursuit of personal ambition, and biases

– Sincerely respects all people

– Realizes that the contributions of others are what enable the organization to fulfill its mission

– Helps, encourages, and counsels followers to hone their skills and become better at their positions because doing so brings the organization closer to its goals

Leadership Traits III

• 3. Ethical Behavior– Doing what is right with respect to values and

standards of conduct; maintaining a moral code

– Examples:• Not accepting any gift of value• Not taking credit for other’s work • Acting as if a superior is watching at all times

Leadership Traits IV

• 4. Life-Long Learner– Never passing up the opportunity to grow and

learn

– Examples• Assessing your willingness to learn • Taking 30 minutes a day to read current literature,

news, or up-to-date information

Leadership Traits V

• 5. Shared Vision– Developing a shared sense of purpose and

inspiring the medical staff to constantly achieve that purpose

*Having cross-representation from all staff and departments in the unit to develop the vision

*Communicating community needs, environmental conditions, and stakeholder expectations to staff

*Inspiring others through confidence, courage, and assurance

Leadership Traits VI

• 6. Empowerment of staff– Giving subordinates/staff the authority, within

guidelines, to make decisions, resolve problems, and make needed changes

– Delegating commensurate authority with responsibility

– Using performance/process improvement teams with the authority to resolve problems and make changes

Leadership Traits VII

• 7. Political Astuteness – Using emotional intelligence

– Understanding other people’s perspectives and motivations

– Knowing what is occurring in the organization (and why), and building networks of support

– Identifying and discussing issues and potential solutions with powerful formal and informal leaders

– Attending meetings and social events to identify organizational trends, needs, and the true operating culture

Leadership Traits VIII

• 8. Coaching and mentoring– Helping staff to perform better by giving instruction/guidance on

what to do for specific situations (coaching)

– Sharing experiences and insight through observations and general discussions, and providing visibility to foster subordinates’ career development (mentoring)

– Having regular meetings with subordinates, discussing how they (and you) performed and what could be done differently

– Obtaining feedback from peers and subordinates (peer/subordinate mentoring)

Leadership Traits IX

• 9. Modeling of behavior – Acting the way you want your subordinates/staff

to act – Conducting training in which you role model the

behaviors you desire – Rewarding those who live up to standards and

values– Managing By Wandering Around (MBWA) in

which you personally demonstrate customer services, respect to patients, family, and staff

Leadership Traits X

• 10. Management of personal and organizational stress – Maintaining perspective and balance in one’s

own work and personal life, and encouraging the same for unit personnel

Identifying and managing organizational factors that create stress

Having a regular routine that reduces personal stress (e.g., walking, meditating, etc.)

Leadership Traits XI

• 11. Balancing of competing priorities– Keeping the mission, vision, and values foremost in

deciding the unit’s top priorities and resolving any conflict among competing priorities

– Using consensus-building techniques

– Having an effective time management system

– Delegating and scheduling actions to insure that priorities are being dealt with by the appropriate staff

Leadership Traits XII

• 12. Insuring teamwork and communication– Fostering working together toward a common goal by

communicating up, down, and across the organization

– Teambuilding sessions and retreats, including team goal setting and role clarification

– Interdisciplinary rounds

– Staff meetings, town-hall/commander’s meetings, MBWA, memos, newsletters, and e-mail

II. Leadership Styles

Leadership Concepts

• Emotional Intelligence– The ability to sense, understand, and

effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, connection, and influence.

Components of Emotional Intelligence I

• Personal Competencies– (1) Self-Awareness

• Ability to recognize and understand your emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others

– (2) Self-regulation• Ability to control disruptive impulses and moods and

suspend judgment before acting

– (3) Motivation• A desire to work for reasons beyond money or status

with a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence

Components of Emotional Intelligence II

• Social Competencies– (1) Empathy

• Ability to understand the emotional make-up of other people and to treat people according to their emotional reactions

– (2) Social Skill• Ability to manage relationships, find common

ground, and build networks

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership I

• Transactional leadership focuses on the critical daily interactions between supervisors and subordinates/followers.

• Transformational leadership focuses on creating organizational change, particularly a new mission, strategy, and culture.

• Both types of leadership are critical in the functioning of

an organization.

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership II

Transactional Leaders

Transformational Leaders

Daily direction Long-term mission, values, and

vision

Supervisory-subordinate

relationships, changing individual performance

Organization-wide relationships,

changing organizational culture

Advocating for staff and own department or

service

Advocating for organization and the community or

populations at risk

Current crisis/issues New strategies/innovations and proactive measures

Transactional vs. Transformational

Leadership IIITransactional Leaders Transformational Leaders

Management of “what is”

Identification of “what could be”

Management of implementation

Thought leader (what could be implemented)

Internal relations, building the team within the unit/department or

service

External relations, building networks and partnerships,

and relationships

Unit/department or service goals

Big picture, larger organizational goals

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership IV

Transactional Leaders Transformational Leaders

“Within the box” thinking (e.g., improving an existing process)

“Outside the box” thinking (e.g., creating a entirely new

process)

Change in a specific area Change across the entire

system

Incremental, step-by-step change

Breakthrough, radical change

Evaluation of current, immediate impact of

change on unit/department or

service

Evaluation of the downstream, long-term impacts throughout the

organization

Situational Leadership• Situational leadership is based on 3 variables:

– Manager: His/Her personal value system, confidence in subordinates/followers, and tolerance for ambiguity

– Subordinates/followers: their knowledge, skills, experience, and need for independence

– Situation: the time constraints and the nature of the problem or work

• Based on the characteristics of the three variables above, the leader chooses between 1 of 7 possible decision-making models.

Continuum of Leadership Decisions I

• 1. Autocratic Decision-Making– Leader makes the decision and announces it – Example: Physician leader tells the

department/staff what to do.

• 2. Consultative Decision-Making (selling)– Leader “sells” the decision – Example: Leader explains the benefits of a

new program in order to gain its acceptance.

Continuum of Leadership Decisions II

• 3. Consultative (asking) – Leader presents ideas and invites questions – Example: Manager presents a new policy and

answers questions to clarify the policy

• 4. Participative (tentative decision) – Leader presents tentative decisions subject to

change – Manager presents a draft of a new policy and asks

for input

Continuum of Leadership Decisions III

• 5. Participatory Decision-Making (problem solving) – Leader presents the problem, gets suggestions, and

makes the decision – Manager describes the problem and asks for input on

what should be included in a new policy

6. Democratic Decision-Making– Leader defines limits and asks group to make the

decision – Manager charters a process improvement team

Continuum of Leadership Decisions IV

• 7. “Freedom” Decision-Making– Leader permits subordinates to function within

limits, as defined by the leader – Manager delegates a project or program to a

competent and motivated staff

Situational Leadership Styles I

Style Description

Emotional Intelligence Competencie

s

When to Use

Coercive

Demands immediate compliance (“Do what I tell you.”)

Drive to achieve, initiative, and self-control

- During crises- Start a program or turnaround- Deal with difficult employees

Situational Leadership Styles II

Style Description Emotional Intelligence Competenci

es

When to Use

Authoritative

Mobilizes people toward a vision (“Come with me.”)

Self-confidence, empathy, and change analyst

- When the change requires a new vision

- When a clear direction is needed

Situational Leadership Styles III

Style Description Emotional Intelligence Competenci

es

When to Use

Affiliative Creates harmony and emotional bonds (“People come first.”)

Empathy, building relationships, and communication

- To bridge rifts in a team

- To motivate staff during stressful times

Situational Leadership Styles IV

Style Description

Emotional Intelligence Competencie

s

When to Use

Democratic Builds consensus through participation (“What do you think?”)

Collaboration, team leadership, and communication

To get quick results from a highly motivated and competent team

Situational Leadership Styles V

Style Description

Emotional Intelligence Competenci

es

When to Use

Pacesetting

Sets high standards for performance (“Do as I do now.”)

Conscientious, drive to achieve, and initiative

To obtain buy-in

- To get input from knowledgeable staff

Situational Leadership Styles VI

Style Description

Emotional Intelligence Competenci

es

When to Use

Coaching Develops people for the future (“Try this.”)

Developing others, empathy, and self-awareness

- To help employees improve performance

Thank You for Your Attention!

Any Questions??

AFAMS Lesson #3