INFORMAL LEADERSHIP: LEADING FROM WHERE YOU AREJennifer O’Leary, BSc, MA, MLT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learners will explore :

Common characteristics of leaders

Motivations for applying leadership attributes

Possibilities for informal leadership in their

own contexts

A framework for developing their leadership

competency

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?

“a process through which an individual attempts to intentionally influence others to accomplish a goal” (Shortell & Kaluzny as cited in Downey et al., 2011)

“the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012)

the sharing of power to serve the needs of others so as to leave them “healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous” (Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, n.d.)

ACTIVITY: LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

Think about a person in your own life that you admired and respected as a leader and who you willingly followed

Woman Face Photo Montage by Geralt/ license CC0 Public Domain

DISCUSSION & REPORTING

Discuss with someone seated near you:Who was this person?What characteristics did this person possess

that made you want to follow them or perform at your best?  

Text: JOLCAPA to 780-800-5606 Text a characteristic or characteristics you

identifyNOTE: you could incur charges if out of your area or limited in texts per month. If you have unlimited texting plan – you will be fine! Your number is private and you will not receive any spam.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ADMIRED LEADERS

(Kouzes & Posner, 2012)

HonestForward-looking

Inspiring Competent

INFORMAL LEADERS

Small “l” leaders Outside formal authority Subtle power and influence Undocumented network

How to spot these informal leaders? Professionals who want to share knowledge Those whose names come up to lead initiatives People who other staff gravitate towards Collaborators who can bring the team together High performing individuals recognized for their

abilities (Downey et. al, 2011)

INFORMAL LEADERS

Influence through relationship-building, knowledge and expertise

Communicate effectively Display excellent interpersonal skills Bring people together Coordinate efforts Negotiate team norms Think strategically - systems based practice Embody professionalism

(Downey et. al, 2011; Huckabee & Warner, 2008)

WHERE CAN YOU LEAD?

Self

ClinicHospital

Practice

Government

Professional Association

Training Programs

Organization

Profession

HealthCare System

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Image Attribution 1. CAPA Competency profile 2. CAPA Competency profile excerpt generated by Wordle 3. The Michener Institute 4. Medician images by audio-luci-store.com from Flickr (no changes)

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FOUNDATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP IN THE PA ROLE

Self: Professional development

Practice: CAPA Competency Profile Collaborator: “Leadership based on patient needs” (p.13) Health Advocate:“As Health Advocates, physician assistants responsibly use their expertise and influence to advance the health and well being of individual patients, communities, and populations” (p. 17)

Organization: Mentorship

Profession: Advocacy for the PA Role in the Healthcare System

the sharing of power to serve the needs of others so as to leave them “healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous”

SERVANT LEADERSHIP FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT TRAINEES (HUCKABEE & WHEELER, 2008 & 2011)

Alignment of servant leadership with PA role People with servant leadership characteristics

are attracted to the PA profession 5 key attributes of servant leaders:

Altruistic calling Emotional healing Wisdom Persuasive Mapping Organizational Stewardship

Enhanced through teaching strategies Leadership can be learned Obligation for educators to develop leadership

skills

HOW MIGHT YOU DEVELOP YOUR LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY?

Kouzes & Posner’s 5 Practices of Exemplary Leadership (2012)

1. Model the Way

2. Inspire a Shared Vision

3. Challenge the Process

4. Enable Others to Act

5. Encourage the Heart

Enlist others in a common vision by communicating shared aspirations

Set an example by aligning your actions to shared values

Show appreciation by recognizing others’ excellence

Create new opportunities by seizing innovative ways to improve

Foster collaboration by building trusting relationships

WHAT I HOPE YOU ARE LEAVING WITH:

Appreciation for the power of informal

leaders

Awareness of the professional grounding for

developing your leadership competency

Recognition of some of leadership

characteristics that you can cultivate or

strengthen

Curiosity to learn more about how you can be

an effective leader in your PA role and

beyond

REFERENCES USED TO INFORM THIS PRESENTATION

Downey, M., Parslow, S., & Smart, M. (2011). The hidden treasure in nursing leadership: informal leaders. Journal of Nursing Management, 19(4), 517-521. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01253.x

Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. (n.d.) What is servant leadership? Retrieved from https://greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

Huckabee, M. J., & Wheeler, D. W. (2008). Defining leadership training for physician assistant education. Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 19(10), 24-28.

Huckabee, M. J., & Wheeler, D. W. (2011). Physician assistants as servant leaders: Meeting the needs of the underserved populations.  Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 22(4), 6-14.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

For further Leadership Resources including books, articles, websites and multimedia, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/QD5PYZP