It is common in the healthcare industry that professional development has focused almost solely on the technical aspects of work.  It is imperative that with the growth and increasing complexity of the healthcare industry, healthcare professionals work toward developing their leadership skills, as well as their technical skills. Presbyterian Communities and Services (PC&S) is leading the way when it comes to giving employees the leadership development tools they need to succeed. The nonprofit organization has created a valuable training program called Leadership That Matters: Equipping Exemplary Leaders (LTM). To share their knowledge and help others in the industry, LeeAnn Mallory, a leadership and organizational development consultant for PC&S, gave an overview of the program and taught a core element of the content at the NADONA and LeadingAge conferences in April and May. 

“Leadership That Matters is a rigorous, practice-based program that spans 12 months. It’s designed to allow new leadership skills and capabilities to really sink in,” said Mallory. “LTM is divided into three sections:  Self, Others and Organization. The workshops I led at the conference focused on The Empowerment Dynamic (TED), a topic covered in the first section. A primary teaching in TED is that what we focus on drives our mindset and essentially our behavior. Focus on problems and you will react; focus on outcomes and you take positive, creative action.”

The presentation went into detail on two models: The Drama Triangle and The Empowerment Dynamic. Many people get pulled into what the program refers to as the Drama Triangle, in which people react to problems by rescuing, blaming and falling into the role of a victim. The goal is to shift from The Drama Triangle into The Empowerment Dynamic (TED). With TED, people focus on reaching positive and sustainable outcomes, while coaching and challenging others and themselves. Effective leaders are able to remove themselves from the drama of a situation and shift to a more empowering mindset.

“David Emerald is the author of, Power of TED: The Empowerment Dynamic, which is what my presentation was based on,” said Mallory. “The purpose of the workshops was to expose participants to this powerful model and give them practice using it. The feedback was very positive!”  

The first LTM class commenced last June at PC&S, and the second class will begin in the fall of 2015. Graduates of the first program were deeply and positively impacted by their experience. Participants left the program with a greater sense of self-awareness, an increased ability to communicate and collaborate with others and improved decision making skills. Participants also gained a better understanding of the daily challenges faced by their leaders, and thus have a greater appreciation for them.

“We appreciate that PC&S is supporting us and encouraging us to educate others in our industry,” said Mallory. “Godwin Dixon, executive vice chairman for Presbyterian Communities and Services, saw the value of bringing this program to our leaders, and he believes that our efforts will help ensure that seniors receive the highest quality care and hospice services across the industry. We are making a difference not only in the lives of fellow professionals, but also in the lives of the seniors we all serve.”