Dear colleague,
I hope that all is well with you both personally and on the professional front. There are many factors that affect how we perceive our working situation - the work environment, professional development, stress and more philosophical questions like meaningfulness of what we do. In our daily work life as psychiatrists we play the role of leader in some way or the other, be it in patient contact or more formally if one is in a chief’s position. Even as chief one often has a superior to relate to. In other words, we are all both objects and executors of leadership.
Most of us have both good and bad experiences of leadership. At best, we can feel inspired and appreciated by our chiefs, thus facilitating the work we do. On the other hand, poor leadership can lead to stress, a bad work environment, and possibly negative effects on one’s own health.
In this issue of “The Nordic Psychiatrist” we will focus on different aspects of leadership. What are the characteristics of a good leader? And what are the signs of ineffective leadership? Do individuals in chief’s positions possess certain personality traits?
We will also discuss aspects of one’s own leadership. Which factors affect our professional choices? Are you the leader in your own life? Also in the clinical situation, how do we help our patients take control and become leaders in their own lives. Maybe we do not have the time enough to reflect over these questions. As with most deeper questions, we probably think more about such matters the older we get.
In this issue, we have interviewed several persons with a vast experience of leadership in both smaller and bigger organizations. They share their reflections and wisdom with us. As in every issue we touch upon some historical and other aspects of psychiatric medicine. Since this journal is our common voice of psychiatry in Northern Europe, feel free to send in suggestions for future topics. Maybe you would even want to contribute with an article, in which case do get in touch!
I wish you an interesting read and of course good experiences of leadership in the future. □