What makes a great leader? How do you become an influential leader? According to popular career management site, Mind Tools, by definition: “A great leader creates an inspiring vision of the future. Motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision. Manages delivery of the vision.” It can be difficult to do that when you aren’t firing on all cylinders. In today’s environment staying focused and managing stress is an essential part in the role of an ASC Administrator. Therefore, we’ve outlined five ways ASC leaders can stay focused and stress-free so that they can inspire, motivate and influence.

Advocate Well-Being Practices:

It is important to be healthy, strong, and comfortable in the work environment. Nurturing those key components will bring more positivity to your center. According to an article relating to how to manage stress from Becker’s Hospital Review, “Leaders can cultivate well-being among team members by prioritizing activities that promote personal health and stress management. These can include mindfulness, resilience training and encouraging people to exercise or engage in renewal activities.”

Disconnect to Recharge:

Are you someone that has trouble saying “No?” You’re not alone. It is common to overextend ourselves both in professional and personal situations. Allowing yourself to create boundaries is a healthy way to limit the risk of overextending and overcommitting which may lead to burn out or even disassociation. Consider setting aside time for yourself in your schedule for self-care. Some activities may include reading, sleep, exercise, practicing a hobby, doing a random act of kindness, or socializing with friends and family. Ideally, this will help you create a healthier work life balance, feeling refreshed and enabling you to perform your best while providing optimal care for your patients and team members.

Manage the Chaos:

Energy transference is the concept that we can transfer positive or negative energy to one another. These transferred energies may feel like a sudden burst of happiness, warm or cold sensations, pain, sadness, or laughter. Understanding this concept and learning how to ground and balance your own energy can help shield you from unhealthy transference, enabling you to listen and help people more openly and without personal agenda. Creating a healthy energy boundary can also help to limit the internal chaos we may feel during the day. To achieve this, we suggest adding practices of meditation, breathing exercises, or affirmations to your daily routine to develop balance within yourself.

Expose the Myth of Multitasking:

As a healthcare leader it is common to multitask, wearing several hats in a single role while still meeting the work requirements with a high level of precision and detail. Balancing everyday distractions that may inevitably put a setback in the productivity of your ASC. In a recent Becker’s article, “To reach the peak levels of productivity and efficiency, encourage team members to “monotask” and focus on one task at a time.” To do this you may explore teaching your skillset and delegating tasks to others so that you stay focused on the bigger picture: patient care.

Share your Compassion in What You Do:

In the healthcare industry it is important for healthcare leaders to form cohesive teams within their ASCs. According to an article relating to how to manage stress from Becker’s Hospital Review, "Managers who show empathy and compassion to their teams significantly improve employee performance, engagement, and overall profitability.” "The single greatest influence on profitability and productivity within an organization… is the ability of leaders to spend more time and effort developing and recognizing their people, welcoming feedback, including criticism and fostering cooperation among staff," a seminal research project at the University of New South Wales found. “A willingness and eagerness to acquire new skills and knowledge specific to the surgery center business is the final piece of administrator puzzle.” (Carrie Pollardy).

All in all, a great leader influences employees and team members by following these principles. From the article, “7 Thoughts on Great Leadership”, “Great leaders build teams and the next level leaders.” Being able to manage stress while staying focused on your ultimate goal is what makes a great and influential leader. Simplify ASC helps leaders stay focused and stress-free by offering a simplified solution. Simplify delivers a complete ASC solution you can trust to help you save valuable time and improve your bottom-line. Proven by decades of ASC expertise, our integrated software platform and proactive revenue services solve your center’s problems so you can get back to doing what you do best – providing outstanding patient care.