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Leadership in the post-pandemic era — Get Up-Close-and-Personal with your people
Dr Timothy Low advises on how to become a good leader , especially in healthcare
The pandemic has taught leaders that there ’ s plenty they won ’ t know until they need to know it .
Wise and confident leaders surround themselves with people smarter than they are . These professionals will help you rise to the occasion and balance out your strengths .
To be the very best leader in any organisation , especially in a hospital , embrace empathy and humility . The pandemic has taught leaders that there ’ s plenty they won ’ t know until they need to know it . Be open to new lessons , ideas , and perspectives because it will only make you a stronger leader . Seek to surround yourself with smarter , more talented people who can help you sharpen your knowledge and skills .
Get Up-Close-and-Personal – go down to the ground to feel the pulse . To be an effective leader , you need to know what ’ s happening around you in the organisation . You need to build the culture and fully understand the nuances of your organisation . The only real , meaningful way to do that is to get to know your people . You need to be present with them in meetings and ask questions . The power of connection is the catalyst of great leadership .
The willingness to put yourself in a position of vulnerability speaks volumes for true communication . It means admitting you don ’ t have all the answers , which can be uncomfortable for some leaders . But making a commitment to share information when you have it , letting people know that you are always working to overcome challenges , will be helpful for the team .
People always seek clarity — we all want to know what the future is going to be . And that ’ s impossible to foretell . But if we are consistently having a dialogue , constantly sharing information , we can work together to find better solutions with the team .
During the pandemic , we needed to ask ourselves how we could lead differently than before . We had to focus on how to support our people beyond their remuneration . It became about how we could show our gratitude . The greatest thing is really making sure that our people know they are being appreciated and that their efforts truly have made a huge impact on our success .
Before the pandemic , I am sure we looked at showing gratitude in small ways , but I ’ m not sure it was at the core of everyone ’ s leadership plan . We ’ ve learned when you focus on the people on your team , great things can happen . You create an environment where people feel like they ’ re a part of something bigger , and make sure they know that , no matter their role , they ’ re making an impact .
We need to remember that we ourselves , as leaders , are human beings after all . We need to be honest with ourselves and have some humility when it comes to knowing our strengths and building on them . Embrace our challenges and surround ourselves with people who can help us be better at what we do . Empathy and humility are mission-critical for successful leadership , and it ’ s important for all of us to recognise that we ’ re riding on this journey together but we ’ ve not yet “ arrived .”
To level up our leadership skills , we need to take our work Up-Close-and-Personal , because it is Personal .
First , we need to realise that we often focus so much on taking care of others that we don ’ t put ourselves in a place to receive care — even selfcare . Don ’ t be afraid to ask others around you about what they do to try to keep themselves balanced . We should put ourselves on a priority list sometimes .
84 ISSUE 1 | 2023 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com