INTRODUCTION
“Leadership wisdom is an essential component to being successful in a fast-paced, ever-changing, and highly complex health care environment” (Ledlow & Coppola, 2014, p. 4). In health care, leadership is essential and seen as the most important job of any health professional (Ledlow & Coppola, 2014). Studying and understanding the theoretical underpinnings of leadership is valuable for many reasons. Seeing that the health care industry differs from other industries, those who strive to function as leaders within it must be able to successfully navigate the complex, highly regulated, and scrutinized environment. To do so, one must appreciate leadership theory and the skill set required to be successful as a leader.Given the urgent and immediate needs of the health care industry, leaders expend a large amount of time and energy on making immediate decisions. As a result, leaders have less time available to think and plan for the future of the organization. Strategic leadership requires leaders to proactively plan for the future of the organization, develop a strategy to move the organization forward, and communicate the strategy to stakeholders (Rubino, Esparza & Chassiakos, 2014). Strategic leadership calls for full organizational participation, as all staff must be engaged and aligned with the organization, understand how their role impacts the future of the organization, and committed to the mission and vision of the organization.
REFERENCES
Ledlow, G. R., & Coppola, M. N. (2014). Leadership for health professionals: Theories, skills, and applications (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.Rubino, L. G., Esparza, S. J., & Chassiakos, Y. S. (2014). New leadership for today’s health care professionals: Concepts and cases. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.