Leadership is the buzz concept vibrating our worlds’ all the time.
With so many options on the menu, it can get confusing and easy to become lost in concepts.
At the cutting edge, leadership ideas and approaches come and go at break neck speeds.
This is necessary because peoples’ needs and wants are in constant flux and we must find ways to meet them.
But there is one specific type of leadership that professes to lead to exponential growth and true transformation. That is disruptive leadership.
What is “disruptive leadership?”
Charlene Li, Leadership expert and author of The Disruption Mindset says
To be competitive, it’s no longer enough to be innovative – you must have a strategy for disruptive growth, a plan to identify and seize an opportunity no one else has the audacity or confidence to reach for. Disruptors don’t just blow things up – they also create and build things that result in huge, positive change.
Charlene Li
The language Charlene uses may sound a little radical for the healthcare environment.
But where I think we can learn from her approach is to be bold and not just be innovative in our thinking but purposeful in our strategies.
Not to get burdened by problems but commit to finding solutions and opportunities even amongst the chaos.
Post Covid has presented more challenges, from stagnant economic growth, wild inflation, disruption to supply chains including materials and human resources.
With this barrage of setbacks and a war in Ukraine comes a gloomy and depressing outlook held by many.
The public sector most of all the NHS has not escaped these challenges either.
Effective leadership is needed to guide us through these difficult times and remain steady and positive while some may find it difficult to cope.
But it is not enough to play it safe, be stoic and hold firm?
“While admirable, being overly cautious and stoic can keep us on the same path and in the same place.”
This approach does not lead to growth. And believe it or not, it is still possible to achieve growth and positive change in times of deficit.
Effective leadership is essential to drive the innovation and change needed to meet our patients’ needs.
These difficult times will end but not every organisation will have survived or thrived.
When times are hard the tendency is to despair and that can lead to desperate acts which can destroy any organisation.
Effective leaders will see the chaos and hardship around them but will remain positive and optimistic because they understand that no matter how painful, the current situation is temporary.
Our patient’s still need healthcare services and they still demand the best.
The greatest leaders ultimately strive to make things better for the people they serve.
And in tough circumstances they view difficulties as challenges.
They keep their heads and resist getting overcome by those challenges and seek solutions.
They continue to inspire those around them and keep the vision of “making things better no matter what” alive and in our sights.
It is the “no matter what” where things can get messy. Often the change necessary to make things better causes disruption.
“Disruption” is generally difficult, can cause radical change and may shift the balance of power.
All this upheaval is too much for most of us and that’s the reason why much needed change does not happen and we can’t move forward.
Amidst the noise, the buzz and the new concepts, this type of leadership must be at the core of any successful organization, no matter it’s size, if it wants to deliver the best outcomes and thrive.