What does it take to lead?

MGMA Connexion, Apr 2006

Five health care associations, including MGMA, create a directory of common competencies essential for effective leadership

reader take-away

* Learn about a new, free health care leadership competency directory comprising 300 competencies within five domains

* See the knowledge competencies that fall under each domain

* Understand the practical applications the directory has to your organization and profession

* Find out how you can get a copy of the directory at no charge

Health care management today overflows with complex challenges and opportunities that require health care executives to possess extraordinary leadership skills. But what are those leadership skills, and how do we know a person has them?

The ability to answer these questions may well make the difference between a health care organization with a strong base of satisfied patients, top-notch clinical outcomes and a healthy balance sheet, and one shopping for a turnaround consultant or an exit strategy. To be among the former, health care organizations need to assess current members of the leadership team and provide training to fill competency gaps. They need to assess and enhance leadership skills of staff members who might move into leadership roles. They need to assess the leadership capabilities of potential new hires from outside the organization. And they must ensure that students of health care management are trained to fulfill the specific leadership competencies that will allow their future employers to carry out their missions.

An extensive project to define the leadership competencies in health care has created a leadership competency directory comprising 300 competencies within five domains.

This project was undertaken by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance, a coalition of the nation's premier health care professional societies representing more than 100,000 members:

* Medical Group Management Association and its certification body, the American College of Medical Practice Executives;

* American College of Healthcare Executives;

* American Organization of Nurse Executives;

* Healthcare Financial Management Association; and

* Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

What are the core competencies?

The competency directory identifies five key domains common to all types of health care managers and leaders, regardless of specialty area or practice setting:

* Communication and relationship management;

* Leadership;

* Professionalism;

* Knowledge of the health care environment; and

* Business knowledge and skills.

Each domain labels competencies as knowledge, skill, core or specialty.

Following are highlights of a few of the core competencies identified for each leadership domain.

Communication and relationship management

This domain focuses on the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with internal and external customers, establish and maintain relationships and facilitate constructive interactions with individuals and groups. Knowledge competencies include:

* Labor relations strategies;

* Organizational structure and relationships;

* Principles of communication and their applications (e.g., crisis communication, alternative dispute resolution); and

* Public relations.

Skill competencies include the ability to:

* Build collaborative relationships;

* Build effective physician and administrator leadership teams;

* Communicate organizational mission, vision, objectives and priorities; and

* Create, participate in and lead teams.

Leadership

Leadership is the ability to create a climate that facilitates motivation, creates a shared vision and leads to an organization's success. The core knowledge-based competency that applies here is an understanding of leadership styles and techniques. Core skill-based competencies include the ability to:

* Gain physician buy-in to accept risk and support new business ventures;

* Adhere to legal and regulatory standards;

* Advocate and participate in health care policy initiatives (e.g., uninsured crisis, medical malpractice, access to health care, patient safety);

* Anticipate and plan strategies to overcome obstacles;

* Anticipate the need for resources to carry our initiatives; and

* Create an organizational climate that encourages teamwork.

Professionalism

Professionalism is behavior in accordance with ethical and professional standards that include a responsibility to the patient and community, a service orientation and a commitment to lifelong learning and improvement. Knowledge competencies related to professionalism are:

* Organizational business and personal ethics;

* Professional roles, responsibility and accountability;

* Professional norms and behaviors;

* Professional societies and memberships;

* Professional standards and codes of ethics;

* Time- and stress-management techniques;

* Conflict-of-interest situations as defined by organizational bylaws, policies and procedures;

* Ethics committee's roles, structure and functions; and

* Patients' rights and responsibilities.

Skill-based competencies related to professionalism include the ability to put that knowledge into practice through, among other capabilities: