10 Ways Vulnerability Can Strengthen Medical Leadership and Patient Care
While vulnerability is usually thought of as a fault line in medical practice, it can be the most powerful glue to help patients and healthcare teams build trust and feelings of connection and resilience. When people can see the vulnerability in their medical leaders, they view the them differently, thus, changes in the relationship between the medical leader and both patients and staff can occur. But this methodology can bring better patient engagement, stronger team cohesion, and more innovative healthcare solutions. 10 ways embracing vulnerability can make you a more effective medical leader, with some real world examples and leaders’ insights.
1. Admit Mistakes Openly
Acknowledging medical error with integrity and trust is done by the physicians who they work with and who treat their patients. It is this level of honesty that supports a climate of safety where team members can freely say ‘I made a mistake,’ thus everyone learns and grows from these lessons, improving patient safety.
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” — George Washington
Mistakes are openly admitted to create the culture of transparency where both the patient and staff feel that they are valued and…
