I believe that this lack of a tidy overlap between these models of leadership challenges and helps to expand the offerings of both McKenna and Pugno, and Sandstrom. Even more importantly, the joint enterprise yields important, broadening insights regarding effective leadership in the contemporary health care system. This same caveat applies to the subsequent venture into the other four Sandstrom Best Practices and related McKenna and Pugno leadership competencies.
I consider two of McKenna and Pugno’s set of competencies to be closely aligned with Best Practice One.
Vision (McKenna and Pugno, 2006, p. 287)
Maintain awareness and curiosity about unfamiliar fields, perspective, bodies of knowledge, and experience
Notice trends, unmet needs or changes that signal potential opportunities or threats
Collect information a from diverse sources
Recognize and interpret implications of information and events
Focus on future possibilities, identifying, and exploring previously unaddressed considerations
Devise ways to achieve the interests of all involved.
Renewal (McKenna and Pugno, 2006, p. 294)
Break away from routine responsibilities to engage in activities that replenish energy and perspective
Affirm and appreciate the intrinsically gratifying aspects of the work
Let go of outdated, counterproductive attitude, beliefs, expectations, thoughts, and behaviors
Re-commit to the values and vision by remembering how and why they were originally established or agreed upon
Seek exposure to diverse and unfamiliar ideas, people, experience and approaches in order to learn and grow
Re-design processes to adapt to changing realities and possibilities.
This match—and mismatch—exemplifies the benefit of relating McKenna and Pugno’s list of competencies to Jeannine Sandstrom’s LL list when addressing the matter of effective physician leadership. While both lists focus on values and affirmations of important perspectives and practices, the LL list tends to focus on the present day and present perspectives and practices, whereas McKenna and Pugno tend to emphasize how vision and values remain alive by continually expanding in time and space. McKenna and Pugno encourage a vision and set of values that are looking forward (e.g., noticing trends and letting go of outdated attitudes), as well as vision and values that expand outward (e.g., collecting data from diverse sources, seeking exposure to unfamiliar ideas).
