Editorial
Leadership means doing the right things
Thursday March 20, 2008
Peter F. Drucker, a pioneer in social and management theory, spent a lifetime shaping the way people work together in organizations. Drucker, who died two years ago at 95, said true leadership evolves when corporate leaders agree with subordinates on objectives and goals, and then get out of the way of decisions about how to achieve them.

He said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

The culture of OMNI Health Care is positive and thriving because of the ongoing encouragement of stakeholders to live the corporation’s values in order to release their inner leader. This edition of the OMNIway could well be called the “leadership” review.

Starting with the arrival of Pat McCarthy at the beginning of April to assume duties as OMNI’s new Chief Executive Officer, hard on the heels of a major rebranding of the organization, and an incredible sector-wide effort to secure signatures to promote awareness of the funding challenges in Ontario’s long-term care homes, leadership is the thread that binds each of this month’s stories together.

Leadership was the theme behind OMNI’s inaugural managers’ forum held earlier this year in Orillia; and it is there in the company’s efforts to not only recruit, retain and promote competent caring professionals, but also to help staff find their hidden potential.

Ontario’s long-term care system is facing unique challenges that are distinct from other areas of healthcare. Leadership in this setting also requires a distinct set of skills and knowledge to provide life-care in a way that encourages maximum engagement.

The critical need for ongoing leadership at all levels of the OMNI organization cannot be overstated: costs continue to spiral upwards; resident volumes soar higher as a general population ages; funders suggest it is difficult for them to maintain the current pace; and providers struggle to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery in long-term care environments.

As evidenced by initiatives such as OMNI’s rebranding, the grassroots drive to impact funding through a signed postcard campaign, and the corporate decision to hire and inspire only the best healthcare workers, OMNI is doing the right things, and doing things right.