Regina Temple Explains Leadership in Healthcare

Regina Temple: How Healthcare Leadership Has Evolved

For transformational leadership in the healthcare sector to be a success, Regina Temple says that learning and understanding of how healthcare systems changed over time should be studied.

The Change in Healthcare Leadership Styles Throughout History

Healthcare leaders in the 19th as well as 20th centuries operated from within information silos. In fact, a director of a rural health clinic may have read published articles and journals on emerging healthcare technologies for special topics a few times every few years. They also would often see patients and crunch numbers, as well as balance their budgets independently of outside influence.

In traditional healthcare leadership models, Regina Temple explains that people at the highest ranks made decisions with very little input, if any, from other healthcare staff. Doctors and administrators, as well as other executives and key members of organizations and institutions, did not bother considering the insights of nurses or front-desk employees. They often neglected the input of others who worked with patients more often and for a longer period.

Nowadays, transformational healthcare leaders can recognize the significance of bringing important figures from the many different areas of a healthcare institution into the conversation. It is indeed an exciting time of growth and innovation for healthcare leaders.

How COVID-19 Changed Healthcare Leadership Once Again

 The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare to change its outdated styles of leadership. With today's dynamic and fast-paced healthcare systems, there is a growing demand for accelerated decision cycles as well as greater coordination, which require smooth and swift communication among healthcare stakeholders and team members. It, in turn, requires team-oriented leaders to be successful.

However, there is another side to healthcare leadership learned from COVID-19. Before the pandemic happened, hospitals and health systems everywhere were already struggling to manage inpatient capacity overload while additional procedures were already shifting to an outpatient setting, explains Regina Temple.

Today, hospitals are faced with even greater issues as they address daily challenges of finding available capacity for an increasing patient population with a higher demand for inpatient healthcare services. Add to that the sharp rise in employee turnover. 

If a hospital lacked a disciplined management system and an employee retention plan before the pandemic, these new demands on healthcare systems are likely to worsen these struggles. 

Many front-line managers rate difficult conversations, as well as coaching and engaging their teams, as the biggest challenges they face. Leadership competencies and skills ought to be an essential component in the recruitment process, especially for front-line leaders. In fact, Regina Temple mentions that leadership skills and technical skills should be considered equally when it comes to internal promotions.

Balance out the coaching on performance and development of staff with recognition for contributions and achievements. Front-line leadership skills include the ability to recognize employee performance and milestones, both personal and professional, to make employees feel valued.

Regina Temple has served in the healthcare community for over 30 years with experiences ranging from for-profit to not-for-profit organizations, unionized to non-unionized facilities and acute care settings to outpatient centers. Read similar articles on healthcare and leadership from Regina Temple by clicking here.