The ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies assessment tool can be used to refine and improve health care executives management skills. The ACHE competencies contain five domains with each domain containing several sub-groups. This ensures that wide areas of competencies are covered in the healthcare sectors. The tool is works in assessing areas of expertise in critical areas of healthcare management. The self-assessment helps identify areas of strength and areas of weakness to work on.
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Communication and relationship management is the first competency. This domain assesses the healthcare leaders ability to communicate clearly and concisely with external and internal customers, establish and maintain relationships, and constructive interactions with individuals and groups (ACHE, 2020). Leaders are assessed in their ability to facilitate interactions and maintain connections with many groups. There are three subgroups, which are relationship management, communication skills and facilitation and negotiation. A leader must be able to have good public relations skills, be aware of culture and be able to communicate the vision and mission of the organization.
Leadership is the next competency and contains 4 subsets. This competency deals with the leaders ability to inspire individuals and have organizational excellence. They should be able to create a shared vision and successfully manage change to attain the organizations strategic ends and successful performance (ACHE, 2020). There is more to being a leader than just being in the lead. A health care leader must be able to stimulate personnel to be their best, be organized, and be able adaptable the changes of the organization. The four subgroups are leadership skills and behavior, organizational climate and culture, communicating vision and manage change.
The third competency is professionalism. It deals with the leaders ethical and professional conduct with a commitment to lifelong learning and improvement. There are three subsets, which include personal and professional accountability, professional development and livelong learning and contributions to the community and profession. A leader must serve as an ethical guide to the organization, by being a mentor, a coach or advising. It is important for leaders to continue to learn and grow.
Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment is the understanding of the healthcare system and the environment in which healthcare managers and provider’s function. There are 4 subsets, which include healthcare systems and organizations, healthcare personnel, the patient’s perspective and the community and the environment. It is important for a leader to understand the healthcare system and the personnel they are leading, along with the make up of the culture and community.
Business skills and knowledge is the ability to apply business principles including systems to the healthcare environment. There are 8 subsets, which include general management, financial management, human resource management, organizational dynamics and governance, strategic planning and marketing, information management, risk management and quality improvement. This is the largest competency and I feel is the most important as it relates to foundations of the business. All healthcare executives need to demonstrate a certain level of competency to ensure they are leading their organizations in the right direction.
Strategies and weaknesses of the five leadership domains
Qualities needed by leaders
Leadership involves directing a group towards a shared goal. Transformational leadership emphasizes that people work more effectively, if they have a mission (Al-Sawai, 2013). Communication is an important skill for leaders to have. Until you can communicate the vision and strategies to your team, you cannot get the results you want. A leader must have decision-making capabilities and be accountable. It is important for a leader to focus on key responsibilities while delegating responsibilities to others. A leader must have integrity and be honest. Leaders succeed when they stick to their values and are ethical. A confident leader is an effective leader. A leader should inspire others by setting a good example, stay calm under pressure and keep motivated. A leader that is passionate about what they are doing, exudes confidence and shows the team that, you are a team player and are not afraid to get yours hands dirty. A leader needs to develop empathy. Being available and understanding to your team during the tuff times is an important quality of a leader. Emotional intelligence is an important skill for leaders because who have this skill handle conflicts and play an important role in conflict resolution (Penney 2010).
Analyze personal leadership qualities
When I think of the qualities needed to lead and which ones I have, I am glad to say, I have quite a few. I believe communication is key, because you cannot lead if you cannot communicate what you are trying to accomplish. My strengths are that I am empathetic, and I try to inspire others to do better. I am the first person to help out when needed, I am not afraid to get my hands dirty. My coworkers tell me that they like working with me, because I am genuine and a team player. I try to stay calm under pressure and I am passionate about what I am doing. I think I could work on my emotional intelligence, because sometimes I do not handle conflicts and can sometimes I can over react especially when I feel a patient’s care is not to par.
- Al-Sawai A. (2013). Leadership of healthcare professionals: where do we stand?. Oman medical journal, 28(4), 285–287. doi:10.5001/omj.2013.79
- American College of Healthcare Executives. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.ache.org/pdf/nonsecure/careers/competencies_booklet.pdf
- Penney, S. H., & Neilson, P. A. (2010). What Qualities Make Effective Leaders? Next Generation Leadership, 37–65. doi: 10.1057/9780230107694_4
- Sfantou, D. F., et al. (2017). Importance of Leadership Style towards Quality of Care Measures in Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Review. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 5(4), 73. doi:10.3390/healthcare5040073
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