When Development Dimensions International (DDI), a multinational management firm based in Pittsburgh, released its fourth annual Health Care Global Comparison leadership forecast in June, it had several recommendations for health care leaders.
Many industry leaders, the study suggests, lack interpersonal skills. The authors recommend the industry as a whole focus more on the “people side” of health care because the human and business aspects go hand-in-hand.
“Effective leadership leads to greater engagement, which leads to better business outcomes,” explained Jim Concelman, DDI’s manager of leadership development.
Growing Their Own
The most effective leaders in the health care industry have been promoted from within, the report said, and it recommended this practice be continued.
“Leadership is the ability to get things done through others, so someone from outside the organization is at a disadvantage,” Concelman said. “When you hire from within, they already have a fit to the culture and the job–two of the riskiest elements in selecting employees and leaders in every industry, especially health care.”
Another important finding is that a company must identify promising leaders as early as possible in order to place them in a position to advance. Without this foresight, the report noted, many companies could find themselves without motivated people who have been groomed to lead.
David Salvo ([email protected]) is a freelance writer in Bloomington, Indiana.
For more information …
Health Care Global Comparison: Leadership Forecast 2005-2006: Best Practices for Tomorrow’s Global Leaders, by Paul R. Bernthal, Ph.D., Richard S. Wellins, Ph.D., and Debra D. Walker, is available through PolicyBot™, The Heartland Institute’s free online research database. Point your Web browser to http://www.heartland.org, click on the PolicyBot™ button, and search for document #19550.
Additional information about Development Dimensions International is available online at http://www.ddiworld.com/thoughtleadership/leadershipforecast.asp.
