Do you know your role as a leader?
Understanding different management methods makes leadership easier, even in challenging situations. Humanely efficient leadership combines both operational efficiency and humanity. Pay attention to competing leadership roles: do you lean towards people management, change management, performance management or internal process management?
There are many different types of leadership, and there is no one right way to lead. Leadership, however, requires the ability to respond to conflicting demands at the same time, sometimes in very challenging situations. In this case, the role of different management styles and, on the other hand, different competence areas, is emphasized.
“A leader is required to understand HR management, change management, performance management and internal process management. A great leader masters all of these”, says Outi Ikonen, Terveystalo's Chief Organizational Psychologist.
According to Ikonen, the biggest challenges in leadership are related to the contradictions between competing leadership roles. Employees must feel happy and healthy while the company is making a profit.
“When managing people, team spirit and inspiring commitment are important, and the employees need to feel empowered and involved. The staff must feel that the supervisor is interested in them and their well-being”, says Ikonen.
There are also paradoxes in change management and process management.
“In change management, the leader strives to achieve growth and innovations, while in the management of internal processes, the leader aims to ensure that the processes work and that there is sufficient stability in the management. The leader should hold on to both, as routines provide a framework for creativity. "
Identify strengths
Leaders and supervisors should consider their own model of leadership and identify their strengths.
“Everyone is at their strongest in one of these areas of leadership. Someone gets feedback on inclusiveness, someone on good performance leadership, someone on inspiring enthusiasm, and someone on creating stability and a systematic approach”, says Ikonen.
Challenges arise mainly if your leadership model is too narrow.
“For example, if your leadership role focuses solely on performance management, the employees may feel ignored. In this case, the supervisor must develop their people management skills and otherwise broaden their competence as a leader."
Help from feedback
A lot is expected of leaders. Therefore, the supervisor and leader should also be understanding towards themselves.
“The leadership role is often focused on the need, and it is natural to focus on some needs more than others. However, it is good to be aware of all the leadership roles so that none of them remain completely ignored”, says Ikonen.
Roles can be developed with the help of feedback, for example.
“The leader should have the skills to take feedback and understand what it relates to. Mindsets that are unsuitable for your type of leadership are easy to reject, but you should learn to accept the feedback nonetheless. A great leader knows how to talk openly, even if the issue is difficult.”
Terveystalo's humane efficiency coaching for supervisors, a virtual, multiorganizational coaching service, can be of use to leaders.
“The humane efficiency supervisor coaching teaches leaders to identify their strengths and development needs, among other things. The aim is to increase the leader’s understanding of working as a supervisor while potentially changing their ways of thinking and acting in different situations”, Ikonen sums up.
>> Learn more about Humane Efficiency
Lue lisää aiheesta
Investments in technological development support Terveystalo's effective occupational health activities
Technological development and digitalization are fundamentally changing work: routine tasks are being automated, knowledge-based decision-making is accelerating, and people's roles are increasingly focused on creativity, problem-solving, and developing the customer experience. At Terveystalo, technology is seen as a strategic enabler that can be used to support the smooth running of corporate customers' everyday operations and create a foundation for even more effective occupational health services. Our vision for the future is to be a pioneer in the digitalization and effectiveness of occupational health services.
Flu season has begun: 7 tips how doctors prevent the flu
The common cold is prevalent in Finland throughout the year. However, viruses spread more readily in the fall, and the influenza season typically begins at the end of the year.
Näin Suomi voi: The decline in mental health-related sick leaves continues to accelerate
At Terveystalo, we committed at the beginning of the year to reduce mental health-related sick leave by 5% among our current customer base during 2025. This ambitious reduction target has progressed excellently during the first half of the year, with the reduction already almost doubling the target. This excellent result has been driven by the development of mental health services for occupational health customers and close cooperation with our corporate customers.
The future of work is built on curiosity and amazement – this is how you can boost your learning efficiency
The future working life will challenge our brains in entirely new ways. Organizations and individuals will have to adapt to constant change, where learning, sharing information, and utilizing diverse thinking will take center stage. It is no longer enough to master a single skill thoroughly; curiosity, the ability to innovate, and the skill to creatively combine different perspectives are also required. According to brain researcher Katri Saarikivi, cognitively stimulating work improves brain health, as long as organizations manage to ensure that the workload does not become too heavy.
Nicotine satches and e-cigarettes already pose a threat to oral health
Nicotine sachets use is increasing, especially among working-age men and women. Among young people, e-cigarette smoking has even tripled in five years. It is already known that nicotine sachets and e-cigarettes cause similar changes in the mouth as traditional smoking. Ritva Lindblad, senior dentist at Terveystalo, warns that we are only now beginning to see the first signs of the products' effects on oral health.
Terveystalo strengthens disease prevention in collaboration with Finnish health technology company MedicubeX
Terveystalo and the Finnish health technology company MedicubeX have entered into a strategic partnership that will make Terveystalo the only private healthcare provider in Finland to have access to MedicubeX's self-monitoring stations (e-Health Stations™). The aim of the partnership is to support the health of the Finnish population and prevent lifestyle diseases.