Every crisis puts our leadership skills to the test, regardless of our role or field of work.

When managing a crisis, it is necessary to make quick and effective decisions to guide and mobilize team members toward achieving their objectives.

The role and qualities of a leader are essential and can facilitate this decision-making process, thanks to their position and understanding of priorities, which will lead to an optimal distribution of tasks.

Soft skills for effective leadership!

In the healthcare field, there are several definitions of “leadership.” Let’s consider, for example, the definitions provided by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and Peter G. Northouse.

According to the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, leadership is about “creating an environment that helps team members be as effective as possible in achieving results that are valued by users and their supporters.” According to Peter G. Northouse, “leadership is the process by which one person influences a group of people to achieve a common goal.” Leadership is a key skill for improving teamwork. In a crisis, the involvement of all team members is essential for achieving a common goal. The leader must be able to establish a climate of trust in order to foster collaboration and create synergy with the healthcare team. To do this, the leader must possess soft skills such as managing emotions and fatigue, decision-making, communication, medical reasoning, and conflict management. Indeed, to influence a team, the leader should not provide solutions but rather facilitate problem-solving through the coordination process. Furthermore, to facilitate understanding of the problem during a crisis, it is recommended that the leader not become directly involved in technical procedures and remain in the background, as much as possible, in order to gain a comprehensive view of the situation. Therefore, within a healthcare team, the leadership role should not necessarily fall to the most experienced or the oldest member. The leadership role can be delegated to all team members, and this role must be clearly understood by all team members. To improve the quality of care, it is necessary to develop leadership within healthcare facilities. Leadership is inseparable from management in its ability to unite and mobilize caregivers around common goals. Leadership must be present at all levels of an institution and operate at the team level, closest to the action on the ground, where actions are implemented. SafeTeam Academy and the development of leadership skills in crisis situations. In the daily work of caregivers, the leadership role is generally filled by the most experienced, highly qualified, or senior member. However, this person does not always have prior training or preparation. Yet leadership within a team cannot be improvised.

SafeTeam Academy has decided to focus on the topic of leadership and offer a module on developing leadership skills in crisis situations.

Through an immersive video, the learner takes part in managing a life-threatening emergency using a specific leadership style, which is then discussed. During this experience, the learner observes how this leadership style affects the organization of care, communication, and workload management.

Like all SafeTeam Academy training programs, the goal is to encourage participants to reflect on areas for improvement—at the individual, group, and organizational levels.

If you’d like to help improve the quality of care within your organization, SafeTeam Academy’s training programs are for you! For more information, please contact us at: contact@safeteam.academy

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* Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice

* http://maryland.ccproject.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2016/04/Cooper-1999-Leadership-of-resuscitation-teams-%E2%80%98Lighthouse-Leadership%E2%80%99.pdf