Leadership

Ethical Leadership

Ethical Principles for Leaders

1. Do not intentionally send deceptive or harmful messages.
2. Place concern for others above concern for personal gain.
3. Establish clear policies that all are expected to follow.
4. Respect the opinions and attitudes of others and allow them the freedom to consider the consequences of their actions
5. Stand behind others when they carry out policies and actions approved by the group.
6. Treat others consistently, regardless of sex, ethnicity, or social background.

As with any desirable behavior, when we occupy the role of leader we should model ethical behavior. By doing so, we will help create a climate of trust and a spirit of cohesiveness.

During conflicts or when passionately involved in a discussion, we sometimes choose language that is overly strong, unnecessarily dramatic or intentionally mean spirited. The first principle, do no harm, is meant to encourage self editing. The second principle seeks to keep us other-centered, focusing on those we lead. The third seeks to clarify decision making systems and guard against misuse of the power ascribed to a particular leader. The fifth principle speaks to the consensus approach to decision making, being able to live with and support decisions. The sixth principle guards against favoritism and discrimination. These are noble goals for professionals interested in ethical leadership.

Submitted By:
Beth M. Harwood

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The WAFP relies on the volunteer efforts and leadership of its members for its overall success. Effective leadership and high quality contributions by volunteers leads to the accomplishments of WAFP's strategic goals. The following article was submitted by Beth Harwood.

Roles and Responsibilities of WAFP Volunteer Leaders

The WAFP relies on the volunteer efforts and leadership of its members for its overall success. Effective leadership and high quality contributions by volunteers leads to the accomplishment of WAFP's strategic goals.

Board and committee members are frequently selected to serve because of their knowledge of the profession, the respect of their peers, and their commitment to the mission of WAFP. Being selected as a committee member is the entry level for eventual committee leadership, board membership and Academy leadership positions. What these new volunteers may lack coming into the role is detailed knowledge and experience in association and volunteer management. Understanding the responsibilities of committees, the role of committee chairs and the role of the committee members is necessary for consistent performance and satisfactory volunteer experiences.

Committees exist within the WAFP to do the work needed to achieve strategic goals. These goals are determined at the annual WAFP board meeting and the committees charge is derived from these goals. Committees exist to assist the board in carrying out its work by researching issues and developing proposals. All committees should have a written charge approved by the board to guide its work. Committee reports should be in writing and circulated with an agenda prior to meetings.

Committee chairs are responsible for managing the committee's work. They should plan and participate in meetings and conference calls. They work with the Executive Director of the WAFP to assign tasks, and monitor progress. They also arrange for the committee to evaluate its work at the end of the program year and communicate with the WAFP Board and Executive Director concerning the work of the committee. The role of committee chairs includes setting the tone for committee work, ensuring that members have the information they need to do their jobs and overseeing the logistics of the committee operation. They assign work to the committee members, set meeting agendas and run the meetings. The WAFP Executive Director works with the committee chair to ensure distribution of the minutes and reports to the members. It is the role of the committee chair to lead the annual evaluation, a process in which committee members review their accomplishments in relation to the committee goals and reflect on the areas of the committee's work that need improvement. The WAFP office can coordinate a Zoomerang survey to gather this data or committees can choose their own process.

Committee members role, the entry into WAFP leadership involvement, requires a commitment to participate actively in the committee's work, including substantive participation in committee meeting and discussions. Members should volunteer for and willingly accept assignments, and complete them thoroughly and on time. Members must stay informed about committee matters, prepare themselves well for meetings and conference calls and review and comment on minutes and reports. It is also important to get to know other committee members and build collegial working relationships that contribute to consensus. Finally, members should actively participate in the committee's annual evaluation.

A high quality volunteer experience at the committee level can motivate members to seek other leadership roles in the WAFP.

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Language is the means by which we communicate with each other. According to Webster's dictionary, a leader is "one who leads or guides." The language of a leader is the communication of one who shows the way. How can we best communicate to show the way? Through expression, listening, simplicity, and behavior. The following excepts are from an article by Rick Wright, an executive coach based in Santa Monica, California.

Language of a Leader - How a Leader Communicates

Expression
Clarity is essential to leadership and your expression of it. How can your vision inspire if no one knows about it? Or understands it?

When you express, be clear in your mind first. Then say it--in word and deed. What you communicate with your body is just as important as what you say with your mouth. When you achieve clarity of mind, your body will express a congruent message. There's no ceiling on your ability to impact the listener.

Simple language is a product of clarity and when achieved, inspires. Choose words that give an optimal chance of being heard--the cleaner, the better. Feel that you're not being heard? Get cleaner. Don't speak French if your listener only speaks English. If you're simple, clear, congruent, inspiring, and still frustrated, you may have the wrong idea.

Listening
Do you take full responsibility for your listening? Find out. For one full day, listen openly. Don't leave a conversation until you're sure the speaker feels heard. Be patient and present to their thoughts, feelings, tone, and behaviors. Notice when you are considering your next words instead of listening to theirs. Don't let your mind or emotions sweep you off purpose. Leaders who truly listen see people, situations, and solutions that non-listeners never see, which allows abundant levels of teamwork, workability, and solutions. Try it and grow your ability and stamina to stay present in the moment.

Simplicity
Simplicity is always more powerful than complexity. Want to hide weaknesses and be political? Complicate the message with fancy words, bells, and whistles. (Remind you of anybody?) This is not positive leadership. It's deception.

Accomplishment of a vision requires all the energy and passion that a leader can inspire from a team. The simpler and more authentic you are in word and deed, the easier it is for people to interject their energy and passion. For maximum impact, simplify everything to its authentic essence. Simplify your behavior and communication and extend this practice to the organization's systems, processes, and infrastructure. Witness the impact. Authenticity is an outcome of simplicity.

Behavior
Leading by example starts with integrity and honesty. Integrity is doing what you say you'll do. Honesty is speaking and living the truth. Think about it. Leaders who inspire you the most possess these qualities. Honesty and integrity are the difference between doing a job and embodying a vision.

Clean up any little white lies. Return phone calls. Keep promises. Apologize. Be on time. Serve and inspire others. Continually reach for your highest ideals. It's simple, but not always easy. Be persistent, one situation at a time, one person at a time. Action counts.

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The Makings of a Mentor - Helping New Leaders
While there are many types of mentoring, the traditional model is one in which a more experienced executive provides support and feedback to a younger leader. However, younger health care leaders say that they cannot find appropriate mentors; senior leaders say they are too pressed for time to incorporate a mentoring relationship into their schedules. This time issue is one of the myths about mentoring that steers people away from the experience.

The following article is by Thomas C. Dolan, CAE, president and CEO of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Chicago

Mentoring Myths

• Mentoring does not have to be time-consuming. If you and a new leader use the time well, one half-hour meeting every two weeks should be sufficient. New leaders should develop an agenda or a list of questions for each meeting to keep the conversation focused and ensure that time is used wisely.



• Mentoring does not have to be done alone. Bringing in other veteran leaders to meet with the new leader can help the emerging leader understand the perspectives of individuals of different backgrounds. Make sure that all new leaders are exposed to a number of experienced leaders, both male and female, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and age groups.



• Mentoring is a learning experience for both parties. While the primary intent of mentoring is for the senior leader to pass on insights, advice, and knowledge to the new leader, there is always something to enhance the mentor's skills, knowledge and information.



• Mentoring can be fun and fulfilling. The conversations you have with a new leader should be enjoyable. Look forward your mentoring meetings as a time to relax and take a quick break from the usual workday stresses. Also, take time to watching the new leaders build upon their accomplishments and advance their learning

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Nancy Ness, M.D., Medical Director of the Mile Bluff Clinic in Mauston, shared a list of "pearls" on leadership and vision that she’s accumulated throughout her years of experience as a leader in her clinic.

Simple Rules for Leadership and Vision

1. Every problem is an opportunity for improvement. Tell yourself that 5 times a day.
2. Every problem has a solution: your job is to find it.
3. Fix the system; you can't fix people; they're doing their best already.
4. If other people had vision and ability, they'd be doing your job.
5. Look "outside the box" for solutions. Break the mold.
6. Change is a constant. Don't be afraid of it. If a tidal wave approaches, learn to surf.
7. Your job is to develop an organization that will outlive you and run without you.
8. As a leader you're in the center of a spiderweb, not on top of a pyramid. Your role is to communicate and empower others, not make rules and enforce your will.
9. Be a mediator, not a dictator. Mediators get Nobel prizes; dictators get assassinated.
10. Convince others by planting ideas and watering them, until they sprout roots. Then agree when others suggest your ideas, without taking credit for them.
11. Fight fair: if you disagree, stick to the facts, not the personalities, and never hold grudges.
12. Be honest. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
13. If you make a mistake, say you're sorry. Others will respect you more for it.
14. Be nice. Respect other people, and be kind to them, even if they don't deserve it.
15. Say "we" not "I". Give credit to others, even if you did all the work, or had all the ideas.
16. The right hand washes the left. Cooperation beats competition and pays a lot less to lawyers and PR firms.
17. Always have a sense of humor. Don't take yourself too seriously. Never be pompous.
18. Pessimism and discouragement are contagious, and have no place in leaders.
19. Never panic. If you do, everyone around you will, too, and you'll waste time picking up the pieces.
20. Be a duck. No matter what the weather, stay calm on the surface - but paddle like crazy beneath.
21. Anger is dysfunctional, a waste of time and energy, and just creates problems.
22. If people's actions don't make any sense, they're depressed. Help them get treatment.
23. If you are frequently angry or frustrated, you are depressed. Get treatment.
24. If someone tells you that you are depressed, believe it. Get help.
25. Remember that you could have been born in Bangladesh, or been brain-damaged.
26. Recruit IQ and personality. Everything else is teachable.
27. Recruit people with initiative, and empower them.
28. Personalities aren't fixable: "use them up the way they are".
29. Play fair. Don't favor yourself financially, or it will come back to bite you.
30. Enlist newcomers by treating them better than yourself, not exploiting them. Make them equally important from day 1.
31. Build for the future; don't ruminate on the past.
32. Invest your own money in your practice; it pays more than dividends.
33. Leading doctors is sometimes like herding cats.
34. Good doctors are like diamonds: common materials transformed by heat and pressure, rare and valuable, able to cut any other substance, unable to be shaped by any material other than itself, difficult to work with, only needing the proper setting to shine with all the colors of the rainbow.

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Leaders are often the facilitators for open discussion; both problem solving discussions and decision making discussions. Open discussion includes; airing of diverse viewpoints, challenging unexamined assumptions and encouraging cooperative participation. It is a dynamic process of conflict and communication. Several tools can assist the leader in facilitating open discussions.

OPEN DISCUSSIONS

Leaders are often the facilitators for OPEN DISCUSSION; both problem solving discussions and decision making discussions. OPEN DISCUSSION includes; airing of diverse viewpoints, challenging unexamined assumptions and encouraging cooperative participation. It is a dynamic process of conflict and communication. Several tools can assist the leader in facilitating OPEN DISCUSSIONS.

BRAINSTORMING
Participants generate as many solutions as possible to a given problem, recording their ideas on a flip chart or post it notes. The purpose is to create multiple solutions, not to evaluate the quality or feasibility of individual suggestions. No discussion or questioning takes place during the brainstorming session.

DOT VOTING
To get a picture of the group's thinking and to set priorities after the brainstorming session, each participant receives 2 sticker dots and places them by the two statements that the participant believes are most important or should be discussed first.

ROUND ROBIN
The facilitator asks each participant to give a short response to a question, such as, How can we improve this meeting for next time? or What should our priority be for the next month? Each participant responds moving clockwise from the person sitting to the right of the leader. The leader withholds their response until everyone else has spoken.

SIX POINT VIEW
Participants discuss a situation from six points of view, such as the point of view of the legislator, patient, administrator, physician, nurse and the family member. This process helps participants understand the complexity of the issue. The facilitator makes sure that all six viewpoints are discussed and each participant heard before moving forward.

OPEN DISCUSSIONS lead to higher quality decisions and solutions when a facilitator involves everyone in the discussion and discusses a variety of view points relevant to the issue.

Submitted by: Beth M. Harwood, Communication At Work
December 14, 2003

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Facilitating a meeting without understanding its purpose and process can be a challenge. Time spent up front establishing a meeting’s purpose and the process for managing discussion ensures that everyone agrees on working toward a common goal. There are several core competencies in facilitation.

Keys to Great Meeting Facilitation

Facilitating a meeting without understanding its purpose and process can be a challenge. Time spent up front establishing a meeting's purpose and the process for managing discussion ensures that everyone agrees on working toward a common goal.

Professional facilitators emphasize the importance of several core competencies in facilitation:

Neutrality
A facilitator is expected to keep personal opinions out of the discussion. He or she allows, even encourages, all opinions to be heard and avoids offering a solution or the right answer.

Active listening
The facilitator listens with the intent to understand rather than to reply. By maintaining eye contact, using encouraging phrases (e.g., "Tell me more.") giving full attention to the person who is talking, and screening out interruptions and distractions, the facilitator can recognize when the discussion is straying and get it back on track.

Positive body language
The facilitator's interest in what is being said will be communicated through his or her body language. For example, holding your hands palms up when asking something of a participant indicated openness. Positive body language demonstrates energy and enthusiasm. Meeting participants will take their cures form the facilitator and respond accordingly.

Paraphrasing
A facilitator listens for key words and then parrots back to the group what is being said without putting words in the speaker's mouth. This helps to keep all participants focused on the discussion.

Questioning
A facilitator dovetails paraphrasing with questions that test the assumptions and inferences made by participants. Such queries expose key issues and problems. Thoughtful questions also can keep everyone from jumping to quick conclusions and give participants the opportunity to fully explain themselves.

Summarizing
A quick summary keeps everyone on track and also brings closure to discussion points. Timely summarization also can move a group beyond an impasse while linking the discussion to the main purpose of the meeting.

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