The challenges facing health care require strong leadership. The model of leadership will vary depending on the situation, and in reality a leader may exhibit a blend of leadership models. The purpose of leadership is to work with others to improve the situation. Because health care is about people caring for others and there should be alignment with how we treat patients and how we work together as staff, servant leadership may be considered a dominant model. Servant leadership is best aligned with the professional and ethical duties of health care providers in delivering the high-value care patients deserve. Servant leadership focuses on trust and empowerment in both the patient relationship and the health care provider team relationships. The challenges faced by the health care system extend beyond the clinical setting. Servant leadership can also stimulate necessary change so that all health care stakeholders focus on serving others: their patients and their staff. By aligning health care stakeholders to serve patients and each other, a more sustainable health care system providing an improved value equation of high-quality care and lower cost is possible.

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