Leadership Skills and Qualities

Delegation is not merely a way to lighten your own workload; it's a powerful leadership skill that empowers your team, fosters trust, and enhances overall efficiency. Let’s explore the art of delegation and its critical aspects to help you become a more effective leader in the context of aged care in New Zealand. 

Delegation Essentials 

1. Prioritisation: Before delegating a task, consider its priority. Is it an urgent or high-priority task? If so, it should be at the top of your delegation list. Assigning tasks based on urgency ensures that the most critical needs are addressed promptly. 
2. Skill Sets: Understanding your team's individual skill sets is crucial. You should never assign a task that someone is unable to fulfil to your expected standards. Recognising the strengths and weaknesses of your team members is a vital aspect of effective delegation. 
3. Availability: In the fast-paced environment of aged care, time is of the essence. After you've assessed priority and skill sets, ask yourself, "Who has the availability to complete the task?" This consideration becomes even more important when factoring in shift requirements and the time constraints faced by your staff. 
4. Development Opportunities: As a leader, fostering the growth of your team members is a key responsibility. Encourage peer mentoring and coaching to boost their confidence and enhance their skill sets. Delegating tasks that provide development opportunities not only benefits your team but also contributes to the overall success of your organisation. 
5. Interest: In addition to professional development, consider your team members' interests when allocating tasks. People tend to excel when they're passionate about their work. Strive to strike a balance between offering development opportunities and allowing your team to work on tasks that genuinely interest them. This approach can lead to outstanding results and job satisfaction. 

Let’s try out your delegation skills with a couple of scenarios: 

Scenario 1 

You have been asked to coordinate a team to organise a special event for the residents. You have a diverse team with varying skill sets, interests, and availability. The event is rapidly approaching, and there is a task that needs immediate attention. It involves setting up the venue, which requires a sense of urgency.  

Scenario 2 

You are responsible for assigning tasks to your team of support workers in the aged care facility. You have the following tasks to delegate: 

• Task 1. Administering medication to a resident who requires careful monitoring of their medication schedule. 
• Task 2. Cleaning and sanitising common areas in the facility to maintain a safe environment. 
• Task 3. Assisting residents with an arts and crafts activity.

Problems are an everyday occurrence in life, and the workplace is no different. On any given day, you probably deal with many problems without really thinking about them. However, if a problem is more difficult to solve then you need to apply a process to work out what are the best choices and decisions.  

Problem-solving is both a process and a skill you can learn. It takes you through a series of steps to help you reach the right decision: 

Scenario 

As a support worker and leader in an aged care facility, you encounter a complex problem related to residents' declining engagement in recreational activities. The team has noticed a decrease in participation, impacting the overall well-being of the residents. 

• Step 1 - Identify the Problem: In your leadership role, you recognise the importance of addressing the issue of reduced engagement. During a team meeting, you facilitate a discussion to pinpoint the problem, acknowledging its significance for the residents' quality of life. 
• Step 2 - Define the Problem: Guiding the team, you work together to define the problem clearly. You encourage open communication, ensuring that all team members contribute their perspectives on the decline in recreational activity participation. 
• Step 3 - Analyse the Problem: Utilising your leadership skills, you lead the team in a thorough analysis of the issue. Collaboratively, you gather input from residents, consult with healthcare professionals, and review past activity schedules and their outcomes. 
• Step 4 - Explore Possible Solutions: As a leader, you foster a creative and collaborative environment for the team to brainstorm potential solutions. You encourage thinking beyond the obvious and exploring innovative ways to address the problem, considering the well-being and preferences of the residents. 
• Step 5 - Put Your Solution into Action: Taking charge, you guide the team in deciding on the best course of action. Together, you implement a combination of new activities, including music therapy, gardening sessions, and reminiscence activities. You establish a feedback system to continually assess the effectiveness of these changes, ensuring a proactive approach to addressing challenges. 

This scenario highlights how problem-solving, when applied as a leadership skill, involves guiding the team through each step of the process. As a leader, you play a pivotal role in fostering collaboration, encouraging creativity, and ensuring the implementation of effective solutions for the well-being of elderly residents. 

Read the article ‘Problem-Solving: Behaviours in Leadership’ to learn more about the steps in problem-solving.

In the context of support work in aged care, team building relies on the collaboration of all team members, with the leader playing a particularly significant role. An effective leader not only encourages teamwork but also serves as a role model, demonstrating best practices for the team to follow. 

Think of the leader as an evaluator who carefully assesses the team's strengths and weaknesses, working to uncover the group's full potential by fostering connections and refining skills. It's similar to a mentor who guides the team in honing their abilities. A wise leader understands that investing time and effort into strengthening the team will result in enthusiastic and productive team members who not only support each other but also contribute positively to the well-being of the elderly residents. 

Teams that are capable of effectively working together can solve problems, achieve common caregiving goals, and deliver quality resident care, bringing value to the aged care setting overall. This doesn't have to be challenging, though. There are six strategies leaders can implement to improve team culture, development, and cohesion: 

1. Define clear caregiving goals
2. Promote diversity within the team
3. Identify and leverage individual strengths
4. Foster a growth mindset among team members 
5. Provide continuous feedback to team members
6. Regularly review and innovate caregiving processes to adapt to the evolving needs of elderly residents.

Activity - Team building

Objective: Learn about team-building by researching, planning, and doing an activity with classmates, workmates, or whānau, and then talking about how it went. 

Instructions: 

Step 1: Research  

• Find a team-building activity that interests you. Look online or in books for ideas. 
• Choose one activity that seems doable with your group (classmates, workmates, or whānau). Make sure it fits the time and resources you have. 
• Decide where and when to do the activity and what you'll need. 

Step 2: Do the Activity  

• Get your group together (classmates, workmates, or family) and explain the activity. 
• Do the activity and encourage everyone to join in. 

Step 3: Discuss  

• After the activity, ask everyone how it went. Talk about what was good and what could be better. 
• Think about how the activity helped the group work together and solve problems. 
• Decide if the activity achieved its goals. Did it make the group feel closer and more like a team? 

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” – Dale Carnegie 

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to understand and manage your emotions, as well as recognise and influence the emotions of those around you. Leaders with emotional intelligence can inspire and motivate their teams authentically. By understanding the motivations and concerns of their team members, they can tailor their approach and communication for optimal results.

Watch: What is emotional intelligence? (1:53)

Watch this video to understand why emotional intelligence is an important leadership quality, and reflect on your own emotional intelligence in your role as a support worker.

Activity 

Take this emotional intelligence test to see how your EQ stacks up.

Tips to improve your emotional intelligence 

Four attributes commonly define emotional intelligence.  

1. Self-awareness 
2. Self-management 
3. Social awareness 
4. Relationship management.

In the collaborative landscape of aged care support work in New Zealand, decisiveness is a crucial leadership skill for those caring for elderly residents. Quick and informed decision-making is paramount, whether addressing health emergencies or optimising daily care routines. For instance, a support worker faced with a sudden change in a resident's health condition must make prompt decisions to ensure appropriate medical attention. Decisiveness here means setting aside doubts, swiftly analysing the situation, and committing to a course of action that aligns with the resident's well-being. Delayed responses or hesitation in implementing care protocols may compromise the quality of support provided.  

Transparent communication within the team is essential; explaining the reasoning behind decisions fosters trust and collaboration. For example, discussing the rationale for modifying care plans during team meetings ensures everyone is on the same page, promoting a cohesive and effective approach to elderly care. In essence, decisiveness in leadership ensures efficient, compassionate care and inspires confidence among the support team. 

How to cultivate decisiveness as a leader? 

• Gather Information: Ensure a comprehensive understanding of the situation by collecting relevant data, seeking input from experts or team members, and considering diverse perspectives before making a decision. 
• Define Decision Criteria: Establish objective criteria that decisions must meet, preventing them from being solely driven by emotions or personal biases. This framework helps in evaluating options more systematically. 
• Consider Consequences: Deliberate on potential outcomes, weighing short-term and long-term consequences, as well as assessing the associated risks and benefits to make well-informed decisions. 
• Learn from Mistakes: Acknowledge that not every decision will be flawless. Adopt a learning mindset that enables you to glean insights from both successful and unsuccessful decisions, contributing to the refinement of your decision-making skills. 
• Practice Decision-Making: Enhance your decisiveness through practice. Start with smaller decisions and progressively tackle more complex ones, honing your ability to make effective choices over time. 
• Embrace Flexibility: Recognise that being decisive doesn’t equate to rigidity. Stay open to adjusting decisions if new information surfaces, ensuring that choices remain aligned with the best available information at any given time. 
• Stay Calm Under Pressure: Develop the capacity to remain calm and composed, particularly in high-pressure situations. Cultivating this composure prevents panic-induced hasty decisions or indecision, fostering a more measured approach to leadership. 

In this module, we have delved into, we delved into various leadership skills and qualities crucial for support workers in aged care. The exploration covered a spectrum of leadership attributes, including effective communication, cultural sensitivity, providing feedback, conflict resolution, delegation, problem-solving, team-building, emotional intelligence, and decisiveness. As you integrate these leadership skills into your daily practices, you not only enhance the quality of care provided but also contribute to the overall positive and supportive culture within your aged care workplace. The application of these skills is not just about professional development; it's a commitment to creating an environment where both your colleagues and the elderly residents thrive. 

Watch Top Team Leader Skills - Tips For Being A Great New Team Leader 6:37 

Post-watch question: what tips did you find most useful for your role as a support worker?