What Does Leadership Mean?
Leader and leadership are words commonly used in organizations to describe those of us who are in-charge. CEO, COOs, VPs, Directors, Managers, Supervisors, etc., are all referred to as leaders within an organization. The general perception would be that everyone in these positions are actually leaders or deserving of that recognition because of the title we hold. However, it has been proven that not everyone given a promotion or who has been branded with these titles are leaders, nor do they follow principles of leadership.
I have been witnessed to and have experienced managers, directors and others who speak of leadership but do not seem to incorporate principles of leadership into practice.
My story:
I worked with a director at one of our hospitals, when she was hired, we were not convinced she was the best candidate for the position. There were two rounds of interviews; round one with the VP, the physician leaders and others (not known) and round two was with us, five managers. There were two candidates and she was the last to be interviewed. She seemed very nonchalant while speaking with us, unlike the other candidate she was out of the acute care hospital setting for some time and she had no previous experience in surgery or perioperative services. The five of us took turns asking questions as we should, after all it was a formal interview. She sat in the chair legs crossed with one arm draping over the back of the chair, giving the aura that she did not have to take this seriously because she had already been given the job. After we had completed our questioning, we asked if she had any questions for us, she said no, and the interview was over.
My colleagues and I were not impressed, but I knew while this second interview process was an attempt to provide us with the opportunity to give our feedback, the decision to hire was not mine or ours to make; therefore in my opinion that was over. My colleagues on the other hand were not impressed and voiced their opinions to some of the physicians. Something to note, the other candidate had the experience required since she was in the role of manager of perioperative services at another organization. She was also known to many of the staff and the physicians and they knew her work-ethic and level of work and knowledge. The physicians brought their concerns to the hiring VP who then called a meeting with the managers and explained that while we had been asked for feedback, the decision was not ours to make. **(Leadership Lesson)**
This last candidate was hired into the position, she was not interested in learning, her interest was in directing. She had the title, she spoke more than she listened. She felt insecure by those who had more information than she had, and she used her title to wield her authority. At the two year mark, we were beginning to lose managers, she fired the first, demoted the second, then I became the next target. Since I did not let her get to me, she then targeted the nursing teams; I am sure that was to get my attention. She told me one day without provocation or prompting, about one of my teams,“they would do anything for you” to which I responded, “that’s because I would do anything for them”. While I had been in my role for a number of years and needing a change, I still enjoyed the work I did and the teams I worked with; however, after working with her for three years, I chose to leave the organization.
Leadership Lesson
**For any member of a team, understand that because you are asked for your input, you are not the ones ultimately making the decisions.
As a leader if you are seeking input, ensure you are genuinely seeking to enhance the pool of information/knowledge, but not simply for optics.**
What does it mean to lead? Leadership can be explained by the following:
Leading could be holding someone and guiding the way while you both are moving forward. It could also be a route or a means by which one accesses a particular direction and/or being an example for others to follow.
The word “Leadership” explains what leaders are to do, which is to provide guidance, to inspire and to motivate. However, Peter Drucker outlines that before leading others, we need to have a deeper understanding of yourselves; we need to understand and know the following:
What are our most valuable strengths
What are our most dangerous weaknesses
How do we lean and work with others
What are our most deeply held values.
(Peter Drucker, 1999)
Daniel Goleman advises, that we understand and strengthen our level of emotional intelligence to become effective leaders. He outlined the Emotional Intelligence Competencies as:
Self-Awareness
Self-Regulation
Motivation
Empathy
Social Skills
Daniel Goleman (2004)
Peter Drucker and Daniel Goleman while using varied words and phrases are outlining that it’s essential we understand ourselves and we need to know our values. Our values influences our decision making and as leaders, our decisions have an impact. We need to ensure our impact is positive on the individuals who work with us and the organizations we work for.
Leadership is “the process of interactive influence that occurs when, in a given context, some people accept someone as their leader to achieve common goals". (Silva Ablerto, 2016)