Don’t Drift in Your Leadership; You Might Hurt Those You Lead

This last summer my family and I went to a water park while on vacation. It was fun and relaxing. One of their favorite rides was the lazy river. When I asked my daughter why it was her favorite, she replied, “Because I can just drift along. It doesn’t take any effort at all.”

In the lazy river, the water doesn’t move that fast. You can easily walk against it if you want, but it's strong enough to push you past you might want to go such as an exit. The point of the ride is to drift along and let the current take you where it will. Over time, I’ve noticed that some leaders tend to drift in their duties. They might be rushed, trying to juggle clinical and administrative duties and set the administrative functions on the proverbial back burner. To be honest, I’ve probably drifted myself at one time or another. Drifting in your leadership is dangerous because you don’t know where you’ll end up and that might be an unwelcome surprise, and the destination might hurt those you lead and are counting on you to make the right decisions.

Why Drifting Is Dangerous

You might be wondering why drifting is dangerous. How can it hurt anyone? I guess it depends upon what you let drift in your life, but in general, drifting isn’t probably isn’t good for you. If you let your waistline drift, you might be prone to high blood pressure and diabetes. Likewise, if you let your leadership drift, you and your organization might be headed for turbulent waters, unprepared for what lies ahead. As a leader, you have a duty and obligation to your people and organization to set the course - to have a plan and a place you want to go as an organization. People will rally around and support clear objectives and goals. One of the worst things you can do is not define and share your goals with those you lead. If you let yourself drift, let your people drift, then things will slowly begin to fall apart. In the end, the one who might suffer the most is your customer, your patient.

When we let ourselves and others drift, we will lose purpose and direction. Showing up to work will become a task, something that must be done to earn money. The bare minimums might become their benchmark for performance. They might ask, “What is the least that is required of me, so I don’t get fired?” Their self-preservation becomes paramount in their minds, and that will become all they will think about. They might even begin to look for another workplace that isn’t drifting and has firmly defined goals and objectives.

When people have a purpose, a mission, to achieve, it focuses their attention on something other than the minimum performance standards. It gives them something to strive for and accomplish. If the mission and purpose is communicated and understood, then they will be more motivated to perform about and beyond the bare minimums. Drifting is easy, but ultimately, you’ll get bored.

How to Prevent Drift

To prevent drifting, a leader must have clearly defined goals and objectives and a plan that supports those goals and objectives. The first step in developing a plan is to create a mission and purpose statement. As a leader, do you know where you want to take the organization? Do you know where the organization needs to go in the future? You might have some vague idea. To get real clarity on the issue, first, identify the mission and purpose of your organization.

The purpose of your organization is the why your people do what they do. Why does everyone come together in under the same roof to work and care for people? Why did everyone obtain the specialized training and education that allows them to treat people? This is just the beginning of the purpose portion, but it’s a good place to start.

The mission of your organization is the what your organization does. The what is the methods you use to fulfill or meet your purpose, your why. What is how you can differentiate yourself from your competitors. Combining your what and why into one written statement provides you and your team clarity. Use that clarity as you make decisions, implement improvements, and treat patients in your organization.

Make a Leadership Plan

Once you have solidified your mission and purpose, ask yourself the hard questions. What is required of me to achieve this mission and purpose? What is required of those I lead? What is required of the organization? What is a logical stepwise plan that will get us there? You will need to identify where you currently are and then, using your mission and purpose as a guiding star, lay out your plans. How do you plan on meeting them? How will you monitor your progress to them? Use a checklist or other tool to help keep you on course as you navigate the change. By being prepared and aware, you will keep yourself and your organization from drifting. Refer to your plan, your mission and purpose, every day. It will keep you focused and on task.

There are many useful tools out in the marketplace you can use to help you stay focused on your goals and objectives. Pick the one that works best for you, one that is easy and fun to use, and use it daily. After a few months, you’ll look back and be amazed at the progress you’ve made towards achieving your mission and purpose. Your people will be happy and engaged and you patients will be satisfied.