Leading with mind, heart, body and spirit

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to consider the nature of leadership in the current context where the crisis in global capitalism seems to be encouraging a mechanistic approach to the management of healthcare. The paper urges an holistic leadership ethos to encourage an holistic approach to care and treatment. Design/methodology/approach -The paper utilises an extensive overview of the leadership literature, and also used practical examples of care and leadership practice. Findings -Care and capability need to be partners, but concern has been expressed at all levels of society that a reductionist model is being implemented in many caring professions. Practical implications -The implications for leadership are that one of the most vital current requirements is to encourage a spirit-filled leadership at all levels in the organisations that provide care. Originality/value -The paper addresses the issue that leadership can never be a purely intellectual or emotional activity, it must combine all aspects of the person in an holistic approach.

Psychopathy screening for public leadership

“…Values are important in healthcare (Gilbert, 2013) and the six guiding values of the NHS include those of respect, compassion, improving lives and everyone counting (Hobkirk and Deuchar, 2011). These four values are certainly not shared by corporate psychopaths who do not value, respect or take into account anyone else in their selfish decisions.…”

“…Psychopaths simply do not care about anyone but themselves (Fallon, 2013). Such a lack of care is evident in the "tick-box", target driven, soul-less, robotic, mechanistic and reductionist leadership evident in today's NHS (Gilbert, 2013). A health service which is characterised by bullying and harassment at all levels and where patients are reduced to being mere units of production to be entered, processed and dispatched in line with pre-existing throughput targets.…”

“…This level of emotional responsiveness influences their leadership behaviour. Leadership scholars acknowledge that leadership should involve the emotions as well as the intellect (Gilbert, 2013). However, with their cold indifference to the fate of their employees, at close quarters corporate psychopaths make uninspiring and unethical leaders.…”