Management and Leadership

People-centered health systems cannot be strengthened without good management and leadership. Leadership and management skills are needed at all levels of the health system (See the LMG Conceptual Model: Leading, Managing, and Governing for Results).

Managing is focused on making sure present operations are going well. This includes making sure that our most precious resource—the energy of people to give their best to the job at hand—is not wasted on unnecessary or demotivating activities, lost because of unfair practices, or squandered while attempting to solve problems that could have been prevented.

Essential practices of those who manage are:

Plan

set short-term organizational goals and performance objectives
develop multiyear and annual plans
allocate adequate resources (money, people, and materials)
anticipate and reduce risks

Organize

develop a structure that provides accountability and delineates authority
ensure that systems for human resource management, finance, logistics, quality assurance, operations, information, and marketing effectively support the plan
strengthen work processes to implement the plan
align staff capacities with planned activities

Implement

integrate systems and coordinate work flow
balance competing demands
routinely use data for decision-making
coordinate activities with other programs and sectors
adjust plans and resources as circumstances change

Monitor and evaluate

monitor and reflect on progress against plans
provide feedback
identify needed changes
improve work processes, procedures, and tools

Leading is about the future. It is involved in the creation of work that generates new energy or reactivates untapped skills that have lain dormant because there was nothing to which they could be applied.

Essential practices for those who lead are:

Scan

identify client and stakeholder needs and priorities
recognize trends, opportunities, and risks that affect the organization
look for best practices
identify staff capacities and constraints
know yourself, your staff, and your organization—values, strengths, and weaknesses

Focus

articulate the organization’s mission and strategy
identify critical challenges
link goals with the overall organizational strategy
determine key priorities for action
create a common picture of desired results

Align/mobilize

ensure congruence of values, mission, strategy, structure, systems, and daily actions
facilitate teamwork
unite key stakeholders around an inspiring vision
link goals with rewards and recognition
enlist stakeholders to commit resources