The Road to Leadership focuses on nine important leadership messages, each of which author Carol Jorgensen Huston expands upon in separate chapters. A selection of these will follow.
Find a mentor
The first message, ‘find a mentor and positive role model to share your journey’, describes a close relationship between an experienced person and someone new to their role. The mentor's key attributes include:
Huston draws on her early experiences which led to her deeper understanding of the importance of mentoring. She recommends questions that the reader should ask themselves when deciding which mentor is best for them.
Be authentic
The second message ‘be self-aware and authentic’, is described as having the courage of one's convictions, having integrity, and being true to one's own beliefs. These qualities, as well as a focus on self-reflection, can form the basis for a sense of trust.
Laugh at yourself
‘Be able to laugh at yourself and leave your ego at home’ is a message that led to Dr Huston admitting the importance of laughing at herself, when she described a personal embarrassing experience. Learning from situations and not being hard on oneself are key.
Powerless or powerful
Huston also explains ‘thought leadership’ where the leader shows a different way of looking at a problem, challenges the status quo and takes risks. She suggests that personal power can depend on a range of aspects in life such as having control over your financial situation, and warns about the amount of information you share with people who may want to abuse that power. Huston notes that the way we dress, stand, talk and present ourselves reflects whether others see us as powerless or powerful.
Choose your battles
‘Choose your battles carefully’ is an important message for all, particularly considering its unfortunate prevalence in healthcare, and in paramedicine in particular. Huston explains that you cannot control a bully's behaviour but you can control your own measured response.
She describes this ability as emotional intelligence, because one's immediate reaction when faced with verbal abuse may be to react in a similar way and to be reduced down to their level. However, she also emphasises the need to be able to stand up to and challenge disruptive behaviour.
Communicate
Huston's message ‘perfect the art of communication’ describes the use of vivid images, passion, expression, variation in tone, volume, pace, pauses, warm body language and identifying with the audience. But most of all, good communication depends on being a good listener.
Be present
In her final message, ‘set priorities and enjoy the journey’, Huston reminds readers that the journey is as important as the destination—the present moment must be enjoyed, even though setting and prioritising tasks and goals are also vital.
Evaluation
This book has a refreshing and readable style, which should attract paramedics and all health professionals, regardless of their specialty or managerial role. It should also attract a wide range of people working in other services. The book is a delightful and absorbing read. The author is successful at motivating the reader by revealing, through her writing, the qualities of leadership that she promotes in the book.
Huston writes sympathetically and is not authoritarian. The language is clear and direct. The presentation is attractive with colourful pages, clear print, and a well-spaced layout. The nine memorable key messages draw on her personal experiences and developed wisdom. The use of appropriate and inspirational quotes from famous writers, professionals, and politicians allows the reader to consider the qualities of leadership, not only in care delivery but also in everyday life. Each chapter concludes with a set of references, with few academic sources or references from the literature.
Strengths and weaknesses
This book is available as a paperback or in electronic format. The advantage of an e-publication is that it is transportable and easy to navigate with numbered pages to refer back to. There is also a thorough index. The side panel with corresponding and future pages helps the reader to understand the context of the book.
The need to encourage leadership skills among paramedics is timely as all paramedic scopes of practice are expanding, paramedics are increasingly pursuing advanced practice, and leadership is needed in every aspect of care delivery today.
This book is focused on the nursing literature and is written by a nurse. It is therefore not as directly relevant to the paramedic as it would be if it was written by a prehospital care provider. However, Huston's nursing career has led to teaching leadership, management, finance, and ethics, while co-authoring several textbooks on leadership, management and professional issues, as well as publishing many articles in leading journals and speaking at numerous conferences. Her poignant leadership messages, while based in a nursing context, are applicable to paramedics, and to all health professionals.
Huston is also based in the US where the healthcare system differs from the NHS in the UK. However, the need to encourage leadership in paramedicine is something the US and the UK share. Both countries are also facing challenges in terms of resources and bold, innovative, visionary approaches from leaders are needed to seek solutions in healthcare services.
The Road to Leadership was published in October 2017 and is available as a paperback or in electronic format at a cost of about £18.99. It is available for purchase in the UK and in the US.