A balance of hard and soft skills strengthens leadership in healthcare.
Developing these skills intentionally is essential, Riley Waddell, CEO of Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport-St. Mary Medical Center, told Becker's.
"We can always become better leaders. It starts with simple things," he said. "It starts with having curiosity and creating an environment of curiosity where people aspire to be lifelong learners."
Mr. Waddell and two other hospital executives connected with Becker's to discuss how they are cultivating the following skills to strengthen their teams and enhance their work.
Hard skills
Jamie Wiggins, PhD, RN, COO of Arkansas Children's in Little Rock, emphasized business and financial acumen as essential hard skills, among others.
"The success of any organization requires all the leaders to understand the business, how healthcare is financed, and how we purchase healthcare, as well as understanding the principles of strategic thinking and looking for new ways to do business," Dr. Wiggins told Becker's.
Mr. Waddell highlighted strategic planning, quality improvement and risk management as vital skills for healthcare leaders.
As health systems' IT infrastructure evolves, a strong grasp of healthcare IT is also crucial, Mr. Waddell said.
Being innovative and flexible are also essential hard skills, Bob Duncan, COO of Connecticut Children's in Hartford, told Becker's.
Soft skills
While team building and authenticity are critical for healthcare leaders, Dr. Wiggins cited another soft skill as most important.
"The piece that I find most critical is the emotional intelligence of self," he said. "Making sure that you, as a leader, understand how you're being perceived in the world."
This can be done through work to understand personal motivations, as well as evaluations to learn how leaders resonate with their teams' organizational culture.
For Connecticut Children's, essential soft skills align with the organization's values of teamwork, integrity, respect and discovery, Mr. Duncan said.
In recent years, there has been a rise in rude behavior, whether from patients or between team members, he noted, prompting Connecticut Children's to reinforce principles of kindness, humility and gratitude.
Mr. Waddell also cited emotional intelligence, humility, active listening, communication and empathy as top soft skills.
Emerging skills
As healthcare evolves, new skills are moving to the forefront for some leaders.
"Technology is going to continue to make our lives easier, and it's certainly going to transform the way we provide services," Mr. Waddell said. "I think we all ought to have a better understanding of those emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning, and what they will mean for patient care in the future."
For Connecticut Children's, technological skills are growing in importance, particularly as a pediatric system serving families accustomed to technology.
"Information is at their fingertips, and they can access it anywhere, anytime," Mr. Duncan said. "As a healthcare provider, we are thinking about creating that relationship so that we are providing care the way they want it, when they want it and how they want it."
Other skills are also becoming critical.
Empathy and compassion have always been essential for exceptional patient care and leadership, but they have grown even more crucial among team members recently, Mr. Waddell said.
"With the growing complexity within healthcare in terms of the human and financial constraints we're experiencing, that has exacerbated that angst," he said. "It's really important that leaders are supporting the emotional health of their teams if they want to retain and develop top talent."