Best Places to Work in Healthcare create culture of high performance

Creating a culture of high performance requires solid leadership. While our industry has always dealt with change, the environment we're navigating now requires change at a new level. Leaders today require a new set of skills and an increased level of urgency.

The truth is, the great majority of leaders work very hard and are dedicated to their job. They also have a strong desire to improve their skill sets to navigate these changing times. Organizations that dedicate valuable time to leader development find their leaders to be better equipped and prepared to manage change while keeping staff engaged and building great places to work.

When the skill sets of leaders improve, so does improvement in organizational outcomes.

I have learned many leadership lessons along the way—some easy and some more difficult. Many of these lessons have been the driving force that moved me along the journey. With that in mind, there are 11 leadership tips I have gathered and would like to share:

• Don't react to generalities.
• Require individuals to carry their own message, not someone else's message.
• Ask clarifying questions prior to providing answers.
• Don't say, “I already thought of that. I'm ahead of you.”
• Ask people to clarify communication by asking them to communicate back what they heard.
• Don't have contempt prior to investigation (Herbert Spencer).
• Your job is to take things off your leader's to-do list, not to put things on it.
• Bring three times the number of good things compared to the number of problems.
• Create a relationship with your boss where he or she sees you as a “consider-it-done” person.
• Let individuals know that communications were received.
• Let your leaders know if you're going to miss a timeline. Get to them before they have to ask.

As we look to create high-performance cultures, remember the importance of leader development. Effective leaders are essential to developing and sustaining places where people want to work.

These tips can be implemented immediately to start the process of positive change. It's incredible what leaders can accomplish when given the skills necessary for success in any leadership role.