Building Your Leadership Philosophy

When entering a leadership role, the one thing that we can all agree on is that we think of ourselves last, everything comes before our needs! Our staff, our strategic plan, team development and the everyday “fires” we are trying to contain, ALWAYS come first! Lately, with roll out of a new EMR, regional expansion and practice development, I have found myself overwhelmed and often wondering, is this what it will always be? Is this it? I reflected back to a project I did in November of 2016, and realized that by doing something for myself, I was able to benefit my staff, my institution and my commitment to being a great leader. In corporate worlds, we are always striving for the mission, vision and philosophy of the institution. We use these pillars to build our next steps, goals and projects. Have you thought about your own philosophy as a leader? Have you thought of the way that you see yourself as a leader? Creating this forces us to look at our personal values, our assumptions and our beliefs about leadership.

Start by identifying your leadership values, define them and describe how you see these playing out in your leadership style. Then uncover your assumptions, reflect on a positive and a negative experience, what do you define as leadership? Then, understand your beliefs of leadership. What do you believe? What is the purpose of leadership?

Once you have identified values, unearthed those assumptions and understand your beliefs, you are ready to write your personal statement! Understand that this philosophy will change as you grow, as you develop and as you maneuver through changes in your personal values, beliefs and assumptions.

Do this exercise, not just for your own foundation to build on, but to use in your leadership of others, your coaching and mentoring. Do this exercise for your professional development and your career.

 

Blog post by WHCM Steering Committee Member Jennifer Pendleton