What can leaders do to lead better?

If the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted global supply chains during the last two years awakened anything within the healthcare supply chain profession it's how to lead effectively no matter the location of the chips — down or up — or at least recognize what's needed to get there.

Several Bellwether League Foundation award winners, sponsors and supporters shared their crisis-honed viewpoints with Leaders & Luminaries, too.

"Realize that the pandemic brought 15 years of change to the workplace in the space of 18 months and that a lot of things that we all learned about employee engagement, expectations, collaboration and compensation has changed. What worked in the past won't work in the future, so you need to become more agile and adaptable than ever before. The workforce size is — and will continue — shrinking while the workload is increasing. Automation innovation must become a top priority."

"What is leadership? Pondering facts, determining a viable course(s) of action, executing and then measuring the results to see if the ends achieved met the expectations."

"Supply chain leaders must find ways to adapt to the rapid changes affecting the profession that will result in advancing patient care. They need to improve communication and learn as fast as possible."

"Having just finished reading the book, "Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, there are some fresh lessons offered here that deserve mentioning:

• The direct responsibility of a leader includes getting people to listen, support and execute plans. You cannot make people listen to you. You cannot make them execute. That might be a temporary solution for a simple task. But to implement change, to drive people to accomplish something truly complex or difficult — you cannot make people do things. You have to lead them.
• With Extreme Ownership, you must remove individual ego and personal agenda. It is all about the mission. Take personal responsibility for the failures.
• Strong leaders come in with an attitude about possibilities to improve and perform better. Ditch those negative attitudes — you will not engage your team when you believe winning is not possible.
• Clarity is key in all communication especially in planning where your team needs to understand the purpose of a plan and its implementation. Make sure your team asks questions to cement understanding. It is critical that the team connect all the dots to the work they are performing to the bigger picture (corporate goals) — alignment.
• Work together and support each other as one team. Engagement among all departments is necessary — this cross-functionality will improve your own team's performance.
• Make sure your plans are simple enough so that everyone understands it. Which means that each person can rapidly adjust and modify what each is doing to achieve the plan's goals and objectives.
• To implement and execute, a leader must:
• 1. Evaluate the highest priority problem
  2. Lay out in simple, clear and concise terms the highest priority effort for your team.
  3. Develop and determine a solution, seek input from key leaders and from the team where possible.
  4. Direct the execution of that solution, focusing all efforts and resources toward this priority task.
  5. Move on to the next priority problem. Repeat.
  6. When priorities shift within the team, pass situational awareness both up and down the chain.
  7. Don't let the focus on one priority cause target fixation. Maintain the ability to see other problems developing and rapidly shift as needed.
• To be effectively empowered to make decisions, it is imperative that front line leaders execute with confidence. To do so, they must be confident that they clearly understand the strategic objectives and their senior leader's intent. Most important, these front-line leaders must have implicit trust that their senior leaders will back their decisions to execute properly. On the other hand, front line leaders must always keep their senior leaders informed, particularly of crucial information that affects strategic decision making.
• Leaders must delegate the planning process down the chain as much as possible to key subordinate leaders. Senior (strategic creators) and junior leaders (tactical operators) need to understand each of their respective roles. While each do not need full knowledge and insight, they need to understand and respect each other's roles. Support each other collectively.
• Leaders cannot be paralyzed by fear. That results in inaction. They must act decisively amid uncertainty; to make the best decisions on the immediate information available.
• Discipline equals freedom — while they appear to be opposing forces, they should be balanced to create maximum effectiveness. Some dichotomies of leadership:
• 1. A leader must lead but also be ready to follow.
  2. A leader must be aggressive but not overbearing.
  3. A leader must be calm, but not robotic.
  4. A leader must be brave, but not foolhardy.
  5. A leader must be attentive to details, but not obsessed by them.
  6. A leader must be strong, but likewise have endurance, not only physically but mentally.
  7. A leader must be humble, but not passive; quiet but not silent.
  8. A leader must be close with subordinates, but not too close.

"A good leader has nothing to prove, but everything to prove."

"The pandemic has accomplished what the healthcare supply chain profession has been unable to for the last 25+ years: Gain the attention of healthcare executives and care providers and get them to understand how important smart supply chain management is to clinical and financial success and sustainability.

• Lead by example, not by giving orders.
• Explain the when, what, why and how.
• Reward good work.
• Coach good effort when results are not good enough.
• Hold accountable.
• Defend your team when they deserve it."