What makes a good leader?A good leader has a long-term vision, recognises the efforts of the team, mentors and guides them and supports evidence based practice (EBP)
Tracks
Meeting Room 1.63 - 1.64
| Monday, June 30, 2025 |
| 4:31 PM - 5:00 PM |
Overview
Speaker: Prof Shaheen Mehtar
Speaker
Prof Shaheen Mehtar
ICAN
What makes a good leader?A good leader has a long-term vision, recognises the efforts of the team, mentors and guides them and supports evidence based practice (EBP).
Abstract
A good leader has a long term vision. There is respect, mentorship and support for the team. There should be a safe space for discussion afforded to all members of the team.
The three types of leadership- transactional leadership applies, rewards and punishment, transformational leadership, uses mentorship, positive support and motiviation, and finally servant leader who only does what is required with little regard for the team. For healthcare, tranformational leadership yields the greatest reward and benefit to the institution. Most physicians and nurses can fall into a leadership role by virtue of their jobs, but will require considerable support to make a success of the leadership position.
Implementation leadership is when evidence based practice (EBP) is delivered, such as the introduction of a new guideline (COVID0-19). Here, tranformational leadership combined with EBP has been found to be the most productive for healthcare implementation leadership.
The "old" system of choosing untrained senior leaders , has now been replaced by a structured curriculum for those who enter leadership (Full Range Leadership, FLR). FLR can be evaluated objectively using a questionnaire. The training programme delivered over a longer period of time helps to set up peer mentoring and networking. The content should have generic basic topics and aspects of project managment, financial management, adminstration, emotional intelligence and life work balance.
In summary, a good leader is not necessarily a good manager and vice versa. Special skills are required for both types of leads, and the roles might overlap but are rarely interchangeable.
The three types of leadership- transactional leadership applies, rewards and punishment, transformational leadership, uses mentorship, positive support and motiviation, and finally servant leader who only does what is required with little regard for the team. For healthcare, tranformational leadership yields the greatest reward and benefit to the institution. Most physicians and nurses can fall into a leadership role by virtue of their jobs, but will require considerable support to make a success of the leadership position.
Implementation leadership is when evidence based practice (EBP) is delivered, such as the introduction of a new guideline (COVID0-19). Here, tranformational leadership combined with EBP has been found to be the most productive for healthcare implementation leadership.
The "old" system of choosing untrained senior leaders , has now been replaced by a structured curriculum for those who enter leadership (Full Range Leadership, FLR). FLR can be evaluated objectively using a questionnaire. The training programme delivered over a longer period of time helps to set up peer mentoring and networking. The content should have generic basic topics and aspects of project managment, financial management, adminstration, emotional intelligence and life work balance.
In summary, a good leader is not necessarily a good manager and vice versa. Special skills are required for both types of leads, and the roles might overlap but are rarely interchangeable.
Biography
Shaheen Mehtar is a retired Professor of IPC, Tygerberg Hospital, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town. She trained as a medical microbiologist in the UK and headed up the Microbiology Dept at the North Middlesex Hospital, honorary Senior Lecturer at the Royal Free Hospital. She helped to set up several infection control societies globally. She established the Unit for IPC, Tygerberg Hosp, Stellenbosch Uni. She founded and chaired the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN), the largest IPC organisation in Africa, concentrating on IPC education and leadership. She established several postgraduate IPC courses for Africa and beyond.
Prof Mehtar has served on several international societies such as the Hospital Infection Society, British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and International Society of Infectious Diseases, amongst others. She has been a member of the WHO guideline development groups (GDG) and CDC consultative organisations since 1994. She has worked in several refugee camps and displaced persons establishments. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals as well as several books and chapters
