Executive Leadership: Defining the Key Attributes of Leaders

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Executive Leadership Defining the Key Attributes
of Leaders a Practical Discussion on Change
Management, Organizational Behavior, and Mentoring
Attila J. Hertelendy, PhD, ACP Assistant
Professor, Emergency Medicine Assistant
Professor, Health Management Leadership
Policy Director, Emergency Health Services
Program
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Learning Objectives

• Analyze how leaders are developed in a changing
  dynamic environment
• Describe a new paradigm for leadership
  development applicable to ambulance service
  executives
• Articulate the importance of mentorship in
  Paramedicine and the need for continued research

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Setting the stage

• The entire approach to the concept of healthcare
  provided by Paramedics requires LEADERSHIP.
• Paramedics have successfully demonstrated that
  they are capable of being stewards of their own
  profession. PARAMEDICS MUST CONTINUE TO LEAD.
• Many fundamental existential questions
  surrounding the identity of Parmedicine need to
  be resolved before we are able to develop a
  sustainable management model.

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Ponder this throughout the discussion

• What are the skill sets required to lead
  effectively?
• How do you hone your skill sets to enable you to
  effectively lead in your organization?
• More importantly, how do you equip our future
  workforce to operationalize the changes and
  implement the vision for Emergency Care?

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Assumptions

• It would be presumptuous to assume that the
  healthcare community has an accurate
  understanding of our knowledge, skills and
  abilities.
• Grant participants need to be educated. Public
  Health, and other government agencies dont
  really know what we can do.

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Leading Change

• Healthcare is changing faster than many
  anticipated. EMS delivery systems must change to
  remain relevant.
• AACE is in the best position to lead change in
  and directly influence the way in which
  healthcare is delivered by Paramedics. There
  are numerous positive catalysts for this change
  to occur.

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Ponder this throughout the discussion

• Leadership development is an organizations
  conscious effort to provide its managers and
  potential managers with opportunities to grow,
  learn, and change, in hopes of producing over the
  long term a cadre of managers with the skills
  necessary to function effectively in that
  organization.
• Question to consider are we doing this
  effectively in Paramedic Practice?

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Leadership Development

• Leadership and learning are indispensable to
  each other.
• John F. Kennedy

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Leadership is developed through

• Experience
• Education
• Self-Awareness

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Sources of Experience

• The two major developmental factors in any work
  situation are work associates and the task
  itself. Work associates can serve as positive or
  negative models.
• Work-related tasks give the leader an opportunity
  to become an effective and innovative problem
  solver.

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Learning from Experience

• Amount of Challenge
• Variety of Tasks or Assignments
• Relevant Feedback

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Broad Experience

• Broad Experience- Many aspects of leadership are
  situational. Gaining managerial experience in
  different settings is therefore advantageous.
  Multifunctional managerial development is an
  organizations intentional efforts to enhance the
  effectiveness of managers by giving them
  experience in multiple organizational functions.

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Leadership Development through Education and
Training

• University Courses
• Leadership Training Programs

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Education for Leaders

• How are we doing in this area?
• Why is this important?
• Is academic preparation required? If so what kind
  of academic preparation?
• What will we require of our future workforce in
  administrative settings?

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Leadership Management Education

• Management education is the acquisition of a
  broad range of conceptual knowledge and skills in
  formal classroom settings in degree-granting
  institutions
• Bachelors degree programs in EMS Management and
  Masters Degree programs in EMS Leadership
• Executive education programs

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Experiences at the George Washington University

• Developed an integrative Bachelors Degree
  completion program focused on EMS Management
  Aligned with Competencies at the Entry Level
  Middle Manager
• Developed a Masters Degree in EMS Leadership
  Focused on integration into the healthcare system
  Aligned with Competencies at the Executive Level

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Leadership Management Development (cont.)

• Strategies used to develop managers include
  management education, management training, and
  on-the-job experiences.
• Management development activities account for
  approximately 30 of all funds budgeted for
  training by organizations.

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Developmental Activities

• Multisource feedback
• Developmental assessment centers
• Developmental assignments
• Job rotation programs
• Action learning

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Types of Leadership Development Programs

• Feedback-Intensive Programs
• Skill-Based Programs
• Conceptual Knowledge Programs
• Personal Growth Programs
• Socialization Programs
• Action Learning Programs
• Coaching and Psychotherapy

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Continuum of Practical Options for
Multifunctional Managerial Development
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Self-Awareness

• Leadership Development Through Self-Awareness
• An important mechanism underlying
  self-development is self-awareness, insightfully
  processing feedback about oneself to improve
  personal effectiveness. Self-awareness occurs at
  two levels. Single-loop learning occurs when
  learners seek minimum feedback that might
  substantially confront their basic ideas or
  actions. Single-loop learners think defensively.
  Double-loop learning is an in-depth type of
  learning that occurs when people use feedback to
  confront the validity of the goal or the values
  implicit in the situation.

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Single-Loop Learning

• Single-loop learners seek relatively little
  feedback that may significantly confront their
  fundamental ideas or actions.
• Individuals learn only about subjects within the
  comfort zone of their belief systems.

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Double-Loop Learning

• Double-loop learning involves a willingness to
  confront ones own views and an invitation to
  others to do so, too.
• Openness to information and power sharing with
  others can lead to better recognition and
  definition of problems, improved communication,
  and increased decision-making effectiveness.

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Single-Loop Learning Versus Double-Loop Learning
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Self-Discipline

• Leadership Development Through Self-Discipline
• Leadership development requires considerable
  self-discipline, mobilizing ones effort and
  energy to stay focused on attaining an important
  goal. Self-discipline plays an important role in
  the continuous monitoring of ones behavior to
  ensure that needed self-development occurs.

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Self-Help Activities

• Develop a personal vision of career objectives.
• Seek appropriate mentors.
• Seek challenging assignments.
• Improve self-monitoring.

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Self-Help Activities

• Seek relevant feedback.
• Learn from mistakes.
• Learn to view events from multiple perspectives.
• Be skeptical of easy answers.

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Systems Perspective on Leadership Development

• Relationship Among Approaches
• Integrating Developmental Activities

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Creating a Learning Climate

• Make job assignments that allow people to pursue
  their interests and learn new skills
• Establish work schedules that allow enough free
  time to try new methods
• Provide financial support for continuing
  education by employees
• Arrange special speakers and skills workshops for
  employees
• Establish a sabbatical program to allow employees
  to renew themselves

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Creating a Learning Climate

• Establish a career counseling program to help
  employees develop self-awareness and find ways to
  achieve their full potential
• Establish voluntary skill assessment and feedback
  programs
• Make pay increases partly dependent on skill
  development
• Provide awards for innovations and improvements
• Use symbols and slogans that embody values

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Leadership Succession

• An orderly process of identifying and grooming
  people to replace managers
• Succession planning is linked to leadership
  development in two ways
• Being groomed as a successor is part of
  leadership development
• The process of choosing and fostering a successor
  is part of a managers own development

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Developing a Pool of Successors

• Evaluate the extent of an organizations pending
  leadership shortage
• Identify needed executive competencies
• Identify high-potential individuals for possible
  inclusion in the pool
• Establish an individually tailored developmental
  program for each potential candidate

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Developing a Pool of Successors (contd)

• Select and place people into senior jobs based on
  their performance, experience, and potential
• Continuously monitor the program and give it top
  management support

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Leadership Pipeline

• A model of leadership development that tightly
  links leadership development with management
  responsibilities at each level of the organization

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What do we know about mentoring in EMS
Organizations?

• Evaluation of Subordinates Efficacy as Crisis
  Leaders and In-Role Performance in Crisis
  Response Situations The Role of Transformational
  Leadership and Mentoring
• Attila J. Hertelendy, PhD, Ethlyn Williams, PhD,
  Juanita Woods, PhD Candidate

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Background

• Mentoring has been repeatedly supported through
  research as effective means of developing career
  efficacy and ability in proteges. (Allen, Eby,
  Poteet, Lentz, Lima 2004 Scandura, Tejeda,
  Werther, Lankau, 1996).

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Background - Cont

• Transformational Leadership and Mentoring can
  independently strengthen ability and performance
  outcomes.
• Receipt of mentoring development can help the
  responder to internalize proper behaviors and
  enhance crisis response effectiveness (Sosik
  Godshalk, 2000)
• Source of mentoring is understood in terms of
  supervisory career mentoring (SCM) - Direct
  supervisor of protégé. Vs. non supervisory
  mentoring.

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Background- Cont

• Research have found that when supervisors act as
  mentors, the relationship between mentoring and
  career outcomes such as performance (Sandura
  Williams, 2004), organizational commitment, and
  job satisfaction (Madlock Kennedy-Lightsey,
  2010) are stronger. Mentoring provided by a
  supervisor may be important for building positive
  career expectations within organizations.

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Current Research Study

• Examined supervisory evaluations of crisis
  responders efficacy as leaders in crisis
  situations and crisis responders in role
  performance.
• Influence of transformational leadership and
  mentoring functions (careers and psychosocial) on
  crisis leader efficacy

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Methods

• Large EMS/ Fire Dept in South Eastern US
• 98 Crews participated in the study
• Of 156 members, reported on mentoring
  relationships
• Captain of each shift answered questions about
  the shift members (Firefighters and Paramedics)
• Each crew answered questions about work group,
  leadership and mentoring

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Results

• Results of regression analysis show
• 1. Transformational leadership and receipt of
  mentoring each have a statistically significant
  and positive association with supervisor
  evaluation of member crisis leader efficacy.

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Results

• Only Transformational leadership has a
  statistically significant and positive
  association with team member in-role performance.
• These are initial preliminary results I wanted to
  share, data has not been fully analyzed and
  reported. National / International participation
  planned.

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Mentoring

• Our experience is strengthened through mentoring.

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Operational Definition

• Mentoring is a long-term process through which a
  senior person supports the personal and
  professional development of a more junior
  colleague. Mentoring results in a mutually
  beneficial professional relationship over time.

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Business/Management Literature

• Harvard Business Review (Roche)
• 1,250 top Executives listed in the Wall Street
  Journal.
• 65 had at least one important mentor
• Mentored Execs had higher salaries, more rapid
  promotions, greater achievement of career
  objectives and higher job AND life satisfaction.

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Outcomes for Protégés

• Better Job Performance
• More involvement in professional orgs
• More networking and job opportunities
• Greater satisfaction with institution
• Lower job attrition rates
• Stronger sense of professional identity
• Higher productivity
• Greater Career Eminence (Nobel Prize)

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Benefits to Organizations

• Stronger long-term employee commitment
• Succession planning (future leaders)
• More impressive mentee performance
• Higher Retention
• Mentored employees more likely to mentor others
  in return

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Mentoring and the Dead

• Obituaries of Eminent Psychologists
• 4th most common theme in obituaries
  Inspirational Teacher/Mentor

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What Effective Mentoring Dyads Do
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The Elements of Mentoring
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Launch the Relationship with Care

• Expectations?
• What predicts early success?
• Clarify Ground Rules
• Set Boundaries
• Be alert to burnout

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Know Thy Protégé

• Take Time with protégés.
• Be accessible and available.
• Identify protégés talents and strengths and
  communicate these insights clearly.
• Spend time discovering areas for further
  development.

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Model Excellence

• In all professional domains be congruent
• Model excellence.
• Reject perfectionism.
• Communicate confidence and high expectations.

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Affirm, Affirm, Affirm

• Perhaps the greatest mentor function.
• Imposter Syndrome
• Be consistent unconditional.
• Discern and affirm the dream.
• Gently shape and redirect unrealistic aspirations.

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Be a Teacher Coach

• Early, explicit teaching may help.
• Demonstrate complex tasks.
• Teaching moments.

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Give the Inside Scoop

• Demystify the System.
• Give the political lay of the land.
• Avoid Gossiping or undermining colleagues.

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Offer Counsel in Difficult Times

• Stand ready to Counsel.
• Dont become a counselor.
• Offer warmth and kindness but practice the art of
  referral when needed.

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Stimulate Growth Challenge

• Deliberately challenge.
• Yerkes-Dodson Law
• When challenging, use the principle of titration.
• Exposure is the only answer to anxiety.
• Robin Williams

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Self Disclose (When Appropriate)

• Disclose as a means of teaching, reassuring, and
  connecting.
• Who is benefiting?
• Offer a coping, not a mastery model.

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Allow Increasing Mutuality

• Accept and encourage gradually increasing
  friendship.
• Increasing collegiality is validating for
  mentees.
• Respect preferences for hierarchical structure.

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Narrate Growth and Development

• Point out milestones and successes.
• Help mentees step back and appreciate their
  progress.

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Practice Humility Patience

• Remain non-defensive and open to feedback.
• Nobody wants a perfect mentor
• Humble mentors model fallibility w/o shame.
• Patience EQ

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Appreciate Development and Life Issues

• Second career mentees
• Very young mentees
• Real life transitions, challenges
• Personal and family life stress
• Financial challenges

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Questions?

• Attila Hertelendy, PhD, ACP
• Email ahertelendy_at_gwu.edu
• Tel[phone]