The LEADS in a Caring Environment Framework: Engage Others

Abstract

If we—administrators, professional clinicians, employees, community groups, family members—can just get together, we can change the face of health care. Getting together is the key. In our definition of leadership, leaders engage others—teams, organizations, patients, families, communities, systems—who get together to develop and deliver service and, in the spirit of distributed leadership, become leaders themselves. We define engagement as: "constructive joint action between leaders and followers to achieve a shared vision of high-quality patient care." Also, our discussion of engagement—and the leadership capabilities required to achieve it—addresses the growing challenges of workplace diversity. Four capabilities are required to achieve it: Foster the development of others, Contribute to the creation of a healthy workplace, Communicate effectively, and Build teams.

Engage Others Self-Assessment (For on-line access to self assessment tool please visit www.LEADSglobal.ca)

Informal leader (patient, family member, citizen) responsibilities: In order to engage others in working to make the health system better, I:
1.	Make a disciplined effort to assist health care providers and formal leaders to learn about the challenges and issues facing patients, families and citizens in engaging with the health system	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
2.	Take responsibility for acting in a manner consistent with a healthy workplace, and if asked, provide suggestions to improve workplace conditions	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
3.	Make a disciplined effort to listen deeply, express myself respectfully, use social media appropriately, and participate in dialogue with my fellow citizens and representatives of the health system	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
4.	Am a willing participant in building effective teams when the opportunity arises; I take care to know when to lead and when to follow	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N

Front-line leader responsibilities: In order to engage others in working to make the health system better, I:
1.	Encourage, challenge and support those I supervise by encouraging them to develop personal and professional goals, pursue those goals, and seek feedback on their achievement	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
2.	Monitor/measure the psychological health and productivity of people in my area of responsibility; and do my best to provide clinicians and employees with the tools required to do their work	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
3.	Encourage an open exchange of ideas and information through a formal communications plan; and interpersonally through active listening, respectful expression, dialogue, and appropriate use of social media	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
4.	Create and participate in collaborative inter-professional or inter-unit teams to achieve specified goals	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N

Mid-manager leader responsibilities In order to engage others in working to make the health system better, I:
1.	Encourage, champion and support the use of professional development opportunities, personal learning plans, or performance management processes to achieve personal and professional goals	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
2.	Monitor/measure psychological health and productivity in my area of responsibility; and collaboratively create processes that staff and clinicians feel might improve psychological health and productivity	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
3.	Listen well; and establish both formal and informal processes for exchanging ideas and information through conversation, dialogue, effective meetings, and appropriate media	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
4.	Establish and provide support for the creation of collaborative inter-professional or inter-unit teams to achieve specific goals important to the organization	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N

Senior leader responsibilities In order to engage others in working to make the health system better, I:
1.	Ensure there is funding, processes and procedures, and appropriate accountability for professional development, personal learning plans, or performance management processes to help staff achieve their personal and professional goals	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
2.	Measure the quality of psychological health, workplace wellness, and productivity in my department; and ensure action is taken—with clinician and staff input—to improve psychological health, workplace wellness, and productivity	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
3.	Listen well, speak respectfully; and establish strategic communication processes (using appropriate interpersonal communication, media and dialogue in meetings) to elicit open exchange of ideas, evidence and information	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
4.	Provide materials and support for the creation and sustainability of high-performance teams in my department, and at the senior management table	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N

Executive leader responsibilities In order to engage others in working to make the health system better, I:
1.	Ensure we have policies supporting personal and professional development and performance management; and monitor the implementation of those policies	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
2.	Systematically measure the quality of engagement in my organization, and ensure the strategic plan has explicit guidance as to how to improve psychological health, workplace wellness, and productivity	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
3.	Establish communication strategies to encourage the open exchange of ideas, evidence and information and to deal with the media; and practise effective interpersonal communication with others (deep listening; speaking respectfully; and dialogue where appropriate)	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N
4.	Develop policy to support the creation of high-performance teams in my organization, monitor its implementation and adhere to it at the senior executive table	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 N