Finding the right leadership style

I took part in our all-staff briefing this week, where we honoured and recognised colleagues across the organisation. Looking back at the achievements in the delivery of care during the pandemic, I reflected on the various leadership approaches that I have both used and observed over the past 9 months.

The impact of management, leadership and command approaches during the pandemic has been reviewed by Grint (2020), who suggests that we can perhaps understand styles better if we frame the COVID-19 issues as ‘tame’, 'wicked' and ‘critical’ problems.

‘Tame’ problems, he states, can be complex, but largely solvable by management who can ensure there are standard operating procedures (SOPs), notwithstanding the issues with the supply chain of personal protective equipment (PPE) this year. The SOP to wear level one PPE in all ward areas, unless otherwise advised, is an example of a simple action that can be managed locally.