Alternative Medicine - Healthcare

[Date of Submission]

Alternative Medicine - Healthcare

Introduction

The influence, effectiveness and merit of good and strong leadership have acquired an acknowledged status in the health care industry. There is an increased requirement for an effective and informed leadership in the health care industry as the complexity involved in the system calls for characteristics of a good leader who can translate his / her management and leadership skills in the health care system. In addition the leader is also required to develop an understanding of people's unique health care need while accommodating and striving to develop a broad array of services designed to cater those needs. Leadership can be understood as being both a property and a continuous process. Property leadership is a collection of characteristics that belong to person who is considered to be and widely accepted as leader. Process leadership, on the other hand, implies the use of leadership influence to guide organization's short and long term objectives, to motivate people to achieve these objectives, and most important to aid in the process of defining and shaping organizational culture. (Wise & Kowalski, 2010).

In order to achieve fruitful results, these two attributes of the leadership should be balanced against each other in addition to developing a comprehensive understanding of their application in the health care system. Hence, the most effective and result oriented leader is the one who, not only work to achieve group or organizational goals and objectives, but also performs the challenging tasks of leadership that are extremely critical for the organization to succeed. For the purpose of achieving such a high level of success in leadership, there are various significant issues that need to be taken care of. Some of the most commonly known are: good communication, incentive, enthusiasm, motivation, shared vision, good time management and situational-relational approach to leadership. Developing an appreciation for the aforementioned characteristics and an understanding of ways to implement and enforce them within the context of health care management domain certainly contribute to success of a leader in the domain (Timpe, 1987).

In order to motivate people, an effective and informed leader needs to develop an understanding of their needs. As a scholar said, anything that requires effort on human's part can be a source of motivation. It has been observed that people exert their efforts in order to satisfy their psychological needs, group loyalty, family, monetary benefits, sense of security and deeply held beliefs such as the religious beliefs. Though the tasks that are required to be performed by a leader are varying in nature and can be many in numbers, he / she should also be considerate towards the needs of those who follow him / her and continue striving to find out ways to fulfil those needs (McClelland & Burnham, 2008).

There are times when leaders play their role in removing constraints or inhibitions that hinder the sources of motivation to play their role. Having an understanding of how to deal with other people can result in having ...