Leadership Challenges in Healthcare

Today’s health care and life sciences leaders are required to be resilient, innovative, and highly capable of influencing a complex web of stakeholders and competing demands. But as the sector continues to transform, a broader range of skills and competencies will be required to lead effectively in a sector that is becoming increasingly integrated, digitised, and patient-centric. Here are the Top 5 challenges we feel that healthcare leaders need to navigate. 

Challenge 1: COVID Fatigue

 Many leaders are experiencing tired and jaded teams who are struggling to bounce back from the constant uncertainty of the pandemic. They want to travel, to see family, and to plan for a future without sudden lockdowns. 

Leaders need to understand, notice what is going on, and create support mechanisms so that there is psychological safety for their employees. 

Challenge 2: Technology

One of the significant changes within the healthcare industry has been the emergence of new technology. These technologies range from specialised equipment to information systems and driven by the growing demand for “personalised medicine” these technologies can increase the cost and complexity of healthcare.

Healthcare leaders need to be competent and comfortable to understand, assess, and evaluate new technologies and must make business decisions about the right tool or system to acquire and implement. In addition, they must be change leaders fostering adaptation to change.

Challenge 3: Policy

Unlike their predecessors, today’s healthcare leaders need to operate in constant uncertainty. They must be confident to adapt quickly to any changes that might come about in healthcare policy and regulations.

Challenge 4: Workforce

The healthcare industry consistently faces a shortage of qualified works and a battle for attracting talent. With the pandemic limiting organisation’s ability to attract talent from offshore markets the talent shortage is being felt more than ever and will likely have an impact on industry growth and labour costs.

Understanding the labour market is vital for healthcare leaders and they will need to become better at both attracting and retaining qualified talent.

Challenge 5: Leadership Development

Most healthcare leaders do not have formal or adequate leadership training and with their busy schedules, they struggle to find the time to pursue leadership training. Consequently, there is a gap in leadership skills and training with some healthcare leaders having to learn on the job and sharpen their skills with limited resources.