Leading with 'Hart'
Hartzell Emphasizes Importance of Caring in Healthcare Leadership
What is the greatest attribute a leader can have? According to Uniformed Services University Professor Dr. Joshua Hartzell, the top attribute is caring. But caring leaders are in short supply, he contends, especially in healthcare.
“Caring is our business in healthcare, yet we often neglect to care for ourselves and each other,” said Hartzell at a Clinical Center Staff Clinician Grand Rounds earlier this year. “Connecting to our roots as healers and caring for others is the key to leading effectively.”
To demonstrate, he asked the audience to close their eyes and picture the best leader they’ve ever worked with.
“My guess would be that, in some way, that leader cared about you,” he said. “My goal is that, five years from now, someone else will picture you when they are asked this question.”
A retired Army colonel who recently published a book on caring in healthcare leadership, Hartzell sees an opportunity for this leadership style to make a positive impact on workplace culture.
A lack of caring in the workplace leads to negative outcomes such as burnout, depression and low employee retention, Hartzell argued. “Leaders need to stop playing catch-up” with these symptoms, he said. “We need primary prevention instead.”
Organizational success is driven by its people, he said. Engaged and motivated employees are more likely to do their best work, and they are more likely to be engaged and motivated when they feel supported by their workplace.
Ultimately, that onus falls to those in leadership roles, Hartzell said. “Leaders need to figure out how to best support their people to complete their agency’s mission.”
Just like caring for patients, Hartzell said, caring as a leader is far from easy. “Taking care of people is the hardest thing we do. There’s nothing soft about it.”
Hartzell has created a tactical field manual to advise leaders who want to demonstrate caring.
- Be there—be present; “you can’t lead from behind your desk.”
- Set high expectations and hold people accountable: NIH has a reputation for excellence and people want to continue that legacy.
- Give feedback—both giving and receiving feedback can be challenging, but it’s essential for growth and development
- Listen—something many people struggle with; really listen to people and hear what they’re saying. “Getting to know someone is worth the time.”
- Invest in them—treat employees well and help them grow in their careers
- Say thank you—recognizing and thanking people are crucial belonging cues
Ultimately, Hartzell said, “caring-inspired leadership in healthcare allows us to set the conditions so we can optimally take care of our patients and each other and train the future leaders of medicine.”
To view the archived lecture, visit https://go.nih.gov/qNBdB5l.