Introduction

Health care institutions are some of the most important in the framework of any country. Though they have a simplified façade on the outside, you would acknowledge that their administrative structures bear an element of complexity. There are various aspects of leadership that hold these institutions together ensuring their smooth running as well as enhancing the efficient allocation of the available resources.

Significance of leadership in healthcare institutions

The importance of leadership as far the smooth running of the healthcare institutions is concerned cannot be gainsaid. Though the role played by this particular aspect in the healthcare facilities remains unexplored on the larger part, you would appreciate its particular function.

To start with, leadership has everything to do with setting the goals of the organization. There has always been a conflict of interest in healthcare organizations as to whether the main focus should be profit making or enhancing the quality of the services provided. Setting the goals of the organizations determines the allocation of the available resources. This is because; leadership entails commanding resources, whether human, physical or financial towards the achievement of a common goal.

In this endeavor, the leadership allows for prioritization, or making choices amongst conflicting alternatives in the healthcare facility. Top on the agenda is the cultivation of respectful relationship within the organization’s staff as well as coming up with ground rules which provide a basis for decisions that set the priority, provide the context, choice as well as information necessary for making appropriate decisions on the running of the organizations.

Current activities and the skills neededLeadership pertains to the act of influencing resources whether human, physical or economic towards a common goal. One of the activities relating to leadership would be fostering the vision they have. In this case, the vision would mobilize all the stakeholders into a united direction, set the boundaries as well as the limitations on the realistic goals and set goals. In addition, it would set agendas for consolidations and efficiencies and form a basis on which shared values are built.

In this endeavor, prioritization and management skills would be necessary in order to set the time frames within which the vision will be attained and therefore align the stakeholders to the goals set.

Key challenges to leadership

Leadership in any organization is faced with numerous challenges. Healthcare facilities are definitely not left behind. As indicated, leadership entails uniting all factors necessary towards attainment of a common goal. In health care facilities, it is definitely very challenging to motivate as well as retain workers. Motivation has a definite bearing on the productiveness of the healthcare facility workers.

In addition, you will note that retention of workers in the healthcare organization has a bearing on the productivity as well as profitability of the organization. With a high turnover, the health facility would have to spend even more resources in the recruitment and training. This definitely underlines the importance of the ability of leadership to enhance team-building in order to motivate the workers.

Leadership styles would also play a part in enhancing team building. Workers would definitely be motivated when they feel that their opinion is put into consideration. In this case, allowing for participatory leadership would make them feel part of the decision making and therefore they will own the process and be more connected to it.

Strategies in combating the challenges

Challenges pertaining to motivation of workers have everything to do with the leadership style that the leader inculcates. It would be important that the leaders in the health care facilities focus their energies on ensuring cohesion through more team building. This would definitely improve the productivity of the team. In this endeavor, it would be imperative that the leaders reach out to their staff and help them find solutions to their problems by empowerment.

Delegation of tasks is always an important strategy as it allows the staff to come up with solutions pertaining to the problems. The delegation should help them figure out the impediments to their success and therefore come up with solutions in their own accord. The leader should only step in, in cases where they are needed.

Conclusion

Leadership in health facilities is a very contentious issue. It has a bearing on the smooth running of the health facility. Understanding the challenges and the ways to tackle them would be imperative in order to enhance the efficiency and productivity in these organizations.

http://www.utoronto.ca/cpsrn/html/documents/PSleadershipHEALTHPOLICY.pdfLeadership and priority setting:

The perspective of hospital CEOs

David Reeleder a,∗, Vivek Goel a, Peter A. Singer b, Douglas K. Martin c

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-most-common-leadership-challenges.htmhttp://www.leadership-expert.co.uk/leadership-challenges/http://www.wisegeek.com/topics/leadership-challenge.htmhttp://www.leadership-expert.co.uk/leadership-styles/