Participative Leadership in Optometry

We constantly remind and emphasize the role of team spirit and shared commitment in the Optometry practice. As team leaders, Optometrists, like most healthcare providers exhibit leadership styles that include transformational, transactional, autocratic, participative, etc.

In current Optometry atmospheres, the leadership styles that prevail in the practice, ensure high-quality eye care that provides consistent safe and efficient eye care products and services. Recognizing and identifying the leadership styles that ensure this job will be done, not only help everyone in the practice develop his skills, but also improve how every employee interacts with colleagues and give a perspective of the employee as a leader in the field he works in.

Leadership influences others to understand what needs to be done and how to do it for the common good and the collective benefit. Leadership’s importance in healthcare settings is to help managers maximize efficiency and reach the goals of the organization. Participative leadership also called democratic leadership, is a style that entices input from employees and every team member on all organizational decisions. What participative leadership does is engage employees in the decision-making process, commit them to a common goal, and motivate them to work and try to achieve this goal.

Participative leadership is employed in hospitals and pharmaceutical firms where leaders facilitate the idea to the followers rather than command the idea to followers. Enabling them to take on top of individual responsibilities, leadership positions, or leading a team over time. The Optometrist should make it clear during staff meetings that a participative approach is being adopted to making decisions. Everyone is invited and encouraged to input and discuss how a given situation that is being discussed should be handled.

The Optometrist should appreciate his employee’s ideas and input and synthesize opinions to come out with a strategy to dealing with such a situation in the future. There is no better way an Optometrist can employ to boost the morale of employees and everyone in the team. Implementing the decision and strategy can undergo enhancements, but the most important thing is that all employees and staff members will participate in deciding as well as in implementing.