Description
Leadership in nursing entails the development of skills of nurses, which will further allow them to provide the nursing care of high quality. Like any other organization, the health care industry is grappling with talent management. One of the notable leaders in medical care is Nancy M. Schlichting, the C.E.O of the Henry Ford Health System (HFHS), and she definitely understands all the requirements peculiar to the health care industry. She is accredited with helping the organization in overcoming financial difficulties, as well as producing new and innovative products. Notably, she has spearheaded award-winning patient safety initiatives, customer service, and diversification of the business. Today, the Henry Ford Health System is a $4 billion organization employing 23,000 employees (HFHS).
Leading such a large workforce requires exceptional leadership skills. Schlichting has developed leadership qualities that allowed her to develop and manage employees’ talents at such big health company. Her caring nature has endeared her to her employees and allowed her to mentor them and unite them under a common goal: to deliver innovative solutions to health care problems. She encourages creativity and innovation, which has enabled the company to produce award-winning patient safety initiatives. She also believes in effective communication and always tries to ensure that all employees get adequate communication skills training. These skills have developed the culture of teamwork at the Henry Ford Health System. Furthermore, she has empowered her employees to make decisions within the organization.
Nancy’s leadership style is best described in the premises of the theory of participative leadership. Participative leadership entails encouraging employees to be the part of decision making. Such leadership also requires constant and effective communication that keeps all stakeholders informed of the organization’s progress and the employees. Besides, participative leadership encourages teamwork, which is vital to the success of many organizations. Therefore, Nancy is a true embodiment of a participatory leader in the health care industry.
