Leaders play significant roles in any team, but while some leaders are formally designated, others have innate leadership qualities. While not taking an official position to oversee, certain individuals, who may be called ILs (informal leaders), act in ways that make people wish to follow such persons. First, ILs can be characterized as active listeners willing to stand up and speak out for the benefit of a group (Heard et al., 2018). Second, ILs are approachable and ready to answer questions, as they exhibit professional competence and accountability (Heard et al., 2018). Third, ILs take the initiative and facilitate performance by creating a safe, comfortable environment for others (Heard et al., 2018). While informal leaders may not have the authority to manage, they have characteristics that inspire trust and encourage productivity.
The strategy I will use to persuade others to make changes they may resist will be based on learning their perspectives and identifying relevant justifications for modifications. I will endeavor to discover the reasons behind the unwillingness to accept shifts by showing a readiness to listen to people’s worries (Heard et al., 2018). I will strive to be nonjudgmental and clarify questions that may arise (Heard et al., 2018). For instance, if a resistant behavior would be due to being wary about the consequences of a change, I would explain the necessity for the modification and describe how it may affect each involved person.
Colleague support is important to work in healthcare because the process of treating patients depends on multiple specialists. Providing care is based on the teamwork of professionals from different medical disciplines who work together to ensure sufficient patient outcomes (Lavelle et al., 2020). If coworkers do not help each other, withhold information, or have conflicts, patients do not receive comprehensive treatment. Therefore, healthcare professionals must reinforce one another for the benefit of patients.
References
Heard, C. P., Scott, J., McGinn, T., Van Der Kamp, E., & Yahia, A. (2018). Informal leadership in the clinical setting: Occupational therapist perspectives. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6(2), 1-13. Web.
Lavelle, M., Reedy, G. B., Cross, S., Jaye, P., Simpson, T., & Anderson, J. E. (2020). An evidence-based framework for the temporal observational analysis of teamwork in healthcare settings.Applied Ergonomics, 82, 1-10. Web.