Major Reflection Essay

Rustin Clawson
Appalachian State University
Health Care Leadership
Dr. Lane
December 3, 2014

Throughout this class, we have looked at a number of leadership skills that healthcare
leaders must have to be successful in their industry. We have learned about leadership
competencies, emotional intelligence, networking and team building, cultural awareness, and
many other important topics and skillsets. I went into this class with outcomes of wanting to
learn about the competencies and character traits that healthcare leaders possess, how to deal
with ethical dilemmas, how to build an effective team, how to manage myself in stressful
situations, how to build relationships and network, professionalism, how to analyze key issues
and problems within the organization, keys to being a transformational leader, how to gain the
respect of my employees, and the triple aim. Through case studies, Padlet walls, presentations,
research, interviews, and class discussions, I feel like I have gained a good idea of what is
needed of me in my future career as a leader.
When it comes to leadership competencies, I learned that accountability, collaboration,
and proper communication skills are essential to being an effective leader and team builder. It is
also important to be an innovative thinker since healthcare is such a dynamic and ever-changing
industry due to new health reforms and technologiesit is important for them to be able to think
on their feet. From the book, our team Padlet wall, and from my interview with a healthcare
manager, I was able to learn about these characteristics and how I can use them in the future.
Executives with these competencies gain the ability to influence their employees work in a
positive way.
In regards to emotional intelligence, it is important for one to be able to manage oneself
in stressful situation. They must have self-awareness and management to manage their emotions
to avoid breakdowns and outbursts while communicating with others. It is also important to have
the appropriate social and communication skills that go alongside self-awareness in order to

speak effectively with your employees and co-workers. When a dilemma is faced, it is important
for the leader not to judge or talk down to someone; they must give only constructive criticism
and praise when it is due. Our teams PowerPoint gave a great representation on how someone
should handle a person with a lack of emotional intelligence. From these projects and class
discussions, I feel like I can better control my feelings around other people, and therefore,
control the situation.
Effective relationship building and networking is a great way to gain respect from
employees and co-workers by letting them know you are interested in them and what their role is
in the organization. According to the Alberta Mapping and Planning Support, there are 11 key
steps in relationship building:
1. Build relationships one at a time. Fortunately or unfortunately, there are no short cuts.
Sending out a newsletter helps you keep in touch with lots of folks, but it's no substitute
for getting to know a real person.
2. Be friendly and make a connection. This may seem self-evident, but a friendly word or
smile can make someone's day. Try to find something in common: all of us want to have
close connections with our fellow humans.
3. Ask people questions. People love to talk about themselves and about what they think. If
you ask people about themselves and then take the time to listen attentively, they can
become your fast friend.
4. Tell people about yourself. People won't trust you unless you are willing to trust them.
Tell them what you genuinely care about and what you think.
5. Go places and do things. When asked why he robbed banks, the robber replied, "Because
that's where the money is." If you want to make friends, you have to go where the people
are: picnics, conferences, events, fundraisers, parties, playgrounds, bowling alleys, little
league games, bake sales, etc..
6. Accept people the way they are. You don't have to agree with them all the time in order to
form a relationship with them. No one likes to be judged.
7. Assume other people want to form relationships, too. Underneath the crabbiest looking
person is often a lonely soul hoping someone will make a crack in their shell.
8. Overcome your fear of rejection. Most of us suffer from a fear of rejection, and there's
only one thing to do about that: get over it. If you want to form relationships, plan on
being rejected some of the time. You will be richly rewarded the rest of the time with the
new relationships you have made.
9. Be persistent. People are often shy and suspicious. It takes a while to win trust. You can
almost always form a relationship if you stick with it.

10. Invite people to get involved. People want to become part of something bigger than
themselves. Many people are looking for an opportunity to meet other people who share
common goals. At the worst, people will be flattered that you invited them to join.
11. Enjoy people. If you genuinely enjoy people, others will be attracted to your attitude.
People will more likely want to be around you. (2008).
These 11-steps were noted in our team Padlet wall, and I think they are fantastic guidelines for
managing and building relationships. It is important for me to do so since communication and
human interaction is a big, if not the biggest, part to a successful organization and the entire
entity acting as one.

Knowing how to deal with strategic issues and dilemmas is also a big part of being a
healthcare leader. It is important for leaders to understand the means and metrics to measure
success in an organization and where they are failing. There are a number of ways to look at this
through public reporting and HCAHPS scores, but they can also perform analyses such as
SWOT/TOWS analyses, like we did in our team Padlet wall, turnover reports, State and Federal
statistics, and financial statements to determine a hospitals status and needs for improvement.
There is a lot of value to be had in these types of reports as a leaderit lets you know where
changes need to be made and areas where we can benchmark from to apply to other departments
for improvement.

Another topic discusses in class of importance was the advantages of being a

transformational leader. According to Eubino, Esparza, and Chassiakos, this is the most effective
form of leadership. Transformational leaders empower staff and motivate them to be a part of the
decision-making process as well as give them appropriate means for feedback and review.
Employee motivation is perhaps the biggest part of being a transformational leader. It is
important to give your employees the opportunities to build their own strengths and push them

towards higher level of achievement to one day being a leader too (2014). In my career, the
concept of transformational leadership will be important because I know I will want my
employees to trust me as their manager and know that I will work alongside them to overcome
any task or issue at hand.
One topic we discussed that wasnt an outcome for me to learn about at first is the
importance of cultural awareness. The following is an important quote by the NIH that I think
describes cultural awareness the best: Cultural competency is critical to reducing health
disparities and improving access to high-quality health care, health care that is respectful of and
responsive to the needs of diverse patients. (2014). As healthcare is evolving, so are the United
States and the area we live in. America is becoming a melting pot of different people from
different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and we all must adapt to that. The patients we are
treating and the people we work with are just as diverse so it is essential to understand how
different people interact and communicate. It is important for me to be culturally aware for my
future in healthcare to understand that people may perceive how I do things differently and vice
versa.

The triple aim is the basis for everything that is done in healthcare. According to
Berwicks article, the triple aim is defined as improving the experience of care, improving the
health of populations, and reducing per capita costs of health care. (2008). This can also be
defined as simply increasing access, reducing costs, and providing the highest quality of care
available. Through in-class discussions and presentations on hospitals that could be integrator
organizations, it is apparent that many of the healthcare organizations have, or are close to
having, the foundations required for achieving the triple aim for their communities. It is

important for me as a future leader to consider the triple aim and the organizations mission,
vision, and values to making any major decision to ensure it is the right one for the patients and
the community the hospital serves.

After this course, my leadership training will come from mostly graduate school, military
ROTC since I plan to join the Air Force, and on-the-job experiences with co-workers and in
everyday life. I will have to keep working on my cultural awareness from joining the military
and pursuing a higher level of education since I am sure I will meet people and visit places from
all over the world. I also have to manage my emotional intelligence in the military and class
settings to control my emotions and thoughts. Overall, the future is going to shape my leadership
skills more, and I believe I will learn a lot more over the future about how to better myself to one
day becoming a successful hospital executive.

References
Alberta Mapping and Planning Support. (2008). How Do You Build Relationships? An 11 Step
Program.http://www.cpefalbertacapitalregion.ca/downloads/toolbox/
How%20Do%20You%20Build%20Relationships.pdf
Berwick, D., Nolan, T.,Whittington, J. (2008). The Triple Aim: Care, Health, And Cost Health
Affairs, 27, no.3 (2008):759-769
National Institutes of Health. (2014). Cultural Competency. http://www.nih.gov/
clearcommunication/culturalcompetency.htm
Rubino, L. Esparza, S. Chassiakos, Y. (2014). New Leadership for Todays Health Care
Professional: Concepts and Cases Jones & Bartlett Learning: Burlington, MA.