Encourage the Heart

The final installment in this blog series touches on the fifth component of leaderships as described in The Leadership Challenge, Encourage the Heart.  

This is an overlooked key to leadership excellence. We are too often bogged down by the day-to-day routine to recognize the contribution of others. Recognition can be as complex or as simple as your imagination will allow. One physician I know uses “sticky notes” affixed to the employees computer screen during lunch to recognize that employee’s contribution. It costs nothing, but the return can be immense. Other practices use complex incentive compensation packages to reward the contributions of the employee or the entire staff. The sky is the limit. Be creative. Encourage the heart by:

• Fostering high expectations of those you lead. Be reasonable, specific and action-oriented with your expectations.
• Institute a reward system in your office. Be creative.

• Never forget the two most important words in the English language: “Thank You.”
• Identify ways to connect high performance with reward recognition.
• Offer your employees consistent and regular feedback. This provides the employee the confirmation that they are on the right track or that an adjustment is needed.
• Get involved and be your own cheerleader.

This series on leadership illustrates that leadership is a skill that can be learned and developed. The concepts presented in this blog series are only the start of your learning and skill development process. Making a conscious and concerted effort to be the best leader possible can have a significant positive impact on you, patients, staff … and your practice’s bottom line.

* Adapted from The Leadership Challenge, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner* Adapted from The Leadership Challenge, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner