Empowered leadership in integrative healthcare

By Nancy Gahles

Empowered leadership evolves naturally, organically, and speaks to us through intuition. It directs us to thinking and then to action based on compassionate listening, or listening mindfully, with respect, devoid of judgment or criticism.

When our minds are free from afflictive mental states like these and others such as greed, jealousy, anger, and resentment, we can use our minds to create powerful leadership in all individuals, each expressing their uniqueness in their own way. Each person, acting with wisdom, heart-centered motivation, and right intention will add value to the whole human economy causing a state of equilibrium and flourishing. 

Once again, we can see the language of ourselves in action, externalized as personalities, attributes, skills and virtues is an out picturing of the language our bodies speak. The liver speaks a certain language of filtration and detoxification. It is observed, as to function, through physical symptoms and blood testing. Likewise, the kidneys play a role in filtration and detoxification. Their anatomical and physiological structure is completely different although they share a similar role in the health and harmony of the body. Nowhere in my understanding of whole systems function have I seen the liver call the kidney “an idiot”, “a loser,” or one organ trying to pull a power play on another to become more “glorified” seeking status. 

However, I have seen organs deteriorate, lose function, and die from internally generated thoughts, feelings and conditions of misdirected power and oppressive leadership stemming from financial and ego gratification. Leaders who rule from the afflictive mental states of greed and self-interest corrupt the power source of a radiant individual life and promote conditions that are destructive to the whole of life in our world. 

We see the impact this type of leadership has on poverty, environment, mental health, joblessness and job satisfaction, work-life balance, pay equity, and health equity. Restriction of freedom in any one system has a compensatory effect on the whole system. 

Empowered leadership in healthcare is in need of new leadership. Freedom is the basis that offers space for an individual to explore their talents and to come into right rhythm with themselves. 

Benjamin Rush, MD, was a social activist and a popular figure at the height of his influence in medicine. He championed freedom in medicine as a human right:

“Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others,” he said, “the Constitution of the Republic should make a special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom.”

True leaders are not afraid of losing their power base if they empower others. Rush so believed in the ultimate potential of people that he wanted it written into the Constitution of the United States of America. 

In our current healthcare system, the art of healing is restricted to one class of men. It does deny equal privileges to others. Not only to other licensed and certified practitioners, but to the people themselves. A spate of legislation moving like wildfire across the country has now removed the right to personal freedom of informed consent for medical interventions and has disabled the individual right to religious freedom pursuant to certain medical procedures. We are indentured to insurance companies to pay increasingly unaffordable premiums only to face unintended gaps, co-pays, and other non-reimbursable procedures, along with devastatingly over-priced pharmaceuticals leading to personal bankruptcy in the pursuit of health. 

In February 2009, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies held a Summit on integrative medicine and the health of the public. The program was to provide a unique opportunity to examine the role and value of integrative medicine in more fully meeting the health needs of patients and overcoming the fragmented healthcare delivery system. 

Ralph Snyderman, MD, chair of the summit planning committee, noted the current U.S. healthcare system is far from integrated in any sense of the word. 

“It is reactive to disease events, fragmented, expensive, and ineffective in promoting prevention, continuity of care, and effective engagement of the patient,” he said. “With the twin challenges of an economic crisis and health care that is increasingly unaffordable and often ineffective, the time for reform is now. This healthcare crisis will require innovative solutions and models of care that depart in fundamental ways from the “sick care” system we have today.”

The phrase “effective engagement of the patient” feels to me likely to be the first rule of engagement for empowered leadership. Empowering your team and building trust

is a good rule of thumb that begins with encouraging dialogue, truth, and self-care strategies.

Empowered leaders who work in teams and build trust demonstrate a greater return on their investment. The doctor, the team, and the patient create the goals and share the responsibility for success by:

• Encouraging input
• Asking for their ideas and insights
• Listen with compassion, non-judgmentally and without criticism
• Offer constructive advice 
• Give positive feedback
• Stretch each team members capabilities, including the doctor
• Encourage ongoing, open communication
• Call in other specialists where necessary
• Demonstrate integrity and an inviolable code of ethics in all your dealings

The cognitive elements of empowerment are a desired side effect and include a sense of impact, competence, meaningfulness, and increased task motivation. Empowered leadership is good medicine.