Becker's Hospital Review

79 Quint Studer I nclusive leadership is used to describe lead- ers who make employees feel included in and aligned with their organization, its vi- sion and goals. Inclusive leadership is important because em- ployees who feel included are more innovative and more likely to go above "the call of duty" for their organization, according to a new study by the Catalyst Research Center for Advancing Leader Effectiveness. The study uncovered four key behaviors linked with inclusive leadership, which were profiled in a Har- vard Business Review article on the study's results: 1. "Acts of humility, such as learning from criticism and admitting mistakes;" 2. "Empowering followers to learn and develop;" 3. "Acts of courage, such as taking personal risks for the greater good;" and 4. "Holding employees responsible for results." While empowering others, taking risks and de- manding accountability have long been known to be important leadership behaviors, the impor- tance of humility is less recognized. Leaders are supposed to have the answer for ev- erything, and know exactly where to lead the organization, right? Not so, say some leadership experts. When leading an organization in a complex, rap- idly changing industry, "no one person will ever have all the answers," wrote the Catalyst study's authors in the HBR article. How does a leader display humility? The authors provide four ideas: • Share your mistakes as teachable moments. • Engage in dialogue, not debates. • Embrace uncertainty. • Role model being a "follower." Humility may not come naturally to all leaders. In fact, many organizations too often reward those employees who promote themselves over others. As the authors write: "A selfless leader should not be mistaken for a weak one. It takes tremendous courage to practice humility in the ways described above. Yet regrettably, this sort of courage isn't always rewarded in organizations. Rather than se- lecting those who excel as self-promotion, as is often the case, more organizations would be wise to follow the lead of companies like Google, Rockwell Automation, and others that are re-imagining what effective leadership looks like." With humility now playing a starring role in lead- ership effectiveness — and organizational success, it may be time to examine your organization to ensure your leaders exhibit humility, and those who already do aren't passed up as others rise to the top. n You Only Need to Do 4 Things to Be a Great Leader, Study Finds By Lindsey Dunn by a certain percentage point, the CNO will understand the urgency of the problem. Meet with managers regularly. When Mr. Studer asked a group of healthcare managers if they have regularly scheduled meetings with their leaders, only half of their hands went up. Many said they have meetings, but they are nei- ther scheduled nor supervised. This haphazard approach needs to change, he says. In fact, leaders need to hold meetings at least once a month at a sched- uled time — even when all is going well. "I think leaders have to look at these meetings with middle managers as more than supervisory," says Mr. Studer. "They should involve more planning and development. Leaders should ask managers questions like: 'What can I do to help you? What barriers are you facing?' This shows a boss is engaged with employees and values one-on-one communication." Conclusion It's called "middle management" for a reason, and managers today are feeling the squeeze more than ever. Organizations should remember how much of their success rests on their managers — how prepared they are to lead, how valued they feel within an organization and how well they understand their priorities. "Once hospitals and health systems establish this consistency and strength in the middle — the core of their organization — they are better positioned to see the benefits among the broader employee base and, most importantly, patients," says Mr. Studer. n SAVE THE DATE! Becker's Hospital Review CEO Strategy Roundtable November 5, 2014 Ritz-Carlton Chicago, Chicago 40 Hospital & Health System CEOs Speaking Co-chaired by Scott Becker, Publisher, Becker's Hospital Review, and Chuck Lauer, Former Publisher, Modern Healthcare To learn more visit www.BeckersHospitalReview.com To register, visit www.regonline.com/ceoroundtable2014

• Cover