Fixation on Histology

The Importance of Leadership in a Histology Laboratory

  
To emphasize the importance of leadership in our practice, let us first define the difference between management and leadership. Managers do things right while leaders do the right things. A manager directs, whereas a leader models and coaches. Leadership is modeling behavior, attitudes, and values that inspire others to work together enthusiastically.  

In leadership, the mission and vision statements should be known and studied by the staff of the institution so everyone is aware of common goals. If we implement this in the lab, the pillar or the foundation, for leadership is complete and the rest is left to sustainability.     

Team formation is a crucial task in the leadership conception. This helps to solve different types of problems, troubleshooting, or follow up on any project drafted. For example, if there is a staining problem in a lab, a formal or informal team will be created for brainstorming and/or collection of ideas that contribute to the solution of the problem similar to how we communicate in NSH's online community, “The Block.”
 
Strategic planning is another important aspect of leadership and is crucial in the lab. It is a process by which an organization decides the way in which it plans to progress from the current state to the a desired future state. As we are always moving from yesterday through today to tomorrow, we have to have a strategic plan to keep ourselves ahead of the curve.  
 
There are three key tools for success in leadership. They are:
 
  • Forecasting that helps to predict what will happen
  • Prioritization, the art of using tools to analyze and evaluate
  • Predictive analysis which helps to make predictions by using technology and statistical methods to forecast outcomes for individual cases in the lab. For instance, if the intensity of staining in our IHC practice is weak, we would collect the data of the cold ischemia time of the samples by collecting data. Then, we will infer our study with statistical analysis.
 
The most important part of implementing leadership in the lab is to understand “Change Management.” This helps adapt and provides practice for new changes. For example, if an SOP of a given procedure is changed or we are assigned from one type of practice to another, we should understand that all change results in some types of loss as new policies and procedures are implemented, even if the changes are positive. Thus, identifying these while acknowledging them, providing information, and asking for feedback may help to alleviate fears that staff members may have about how the changes may affect them personally and professionally. The ending should be clearly marked in some way as well as the transaction to the new beginning.    
 
                 
References:
 
  • Janet A. Brown, The Janet A. Brown Healthcare Quality Handbook, A professional resource and study guide, 29th edition, JB Quality Solutions Inc, 2016
  • Lynne S, Paul B, Andrea J, Alice S, Clinical Laboratory Management, 2nd ed., American Society for Microbiology, 2014
  • Mometrics; Test Preparation for CPHQ study guide 2022-2023, 3rd edition, 2023
  • Patrice Spath, Introduction to healthcare quality Management, Health Administration Press, 2009
  • WHO, Laboratory Quality Management System (LQMS) Handbook, World Health Organization, version 1.1, 2011

Written By: Giorgis Yeabyo, BS, MS,  HTL (ASCP)


#2023
#LeadershipDevelopment
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Giorgis Yeabyo
06-25-2023 00:18

Hello Jeniesha Russel HTL (ASCP)

Thank you for your comment and kind words about the article! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed reading it and found value in my perspective on Management Vs Leadership.

You make a great point about the challenges of good leadership. It's true that leadership can come with a price, as it often requires making tough decisions, taking risks, and standing up for what you believe in, even when it's not popular or supported. The presence of politics and other obstacles can also make it difficult to be an effective leader.

However, despite these challenges, I believe that good leadership is essential for creating positive change and achieving success in any field, including histology. By embodying the qualities of a good leader, such as vision, integrity, empathy, and the ability to inspire and motivate others, we can make a real difference in the field.

Thank you again Jeniesha,  for your comment and for being a part of the histology community.

Jeniesha Russell
06-23-2023 13:20

Nice blog Giorgis!!!

I enjoyed reading your perspective on Management vs Leadership. 

I hear time and time again on social media that we should want to be like leaders.  

There is something special about good leadership, but it comes with with a price for the leader.  Good leadership is not easy and is often not supported.  

Things that may seem obvious and right are often not supported in the laboratories.  There is a lot of politics at play.

Thank you for your contribution to the histology community.