Leadership in the 21st century

Background Leadership is considered important in academic health care systems and the demands on individual leaders are growing. Most often, leadership styles are self-taught by observation and practice. In the past, leadership was primarily defined by the tripod: research, patient care, and education. Beside the three traditional, tasks there is a business-oriented trend in health care, demanding an extreme diversity of abilities, e. g., skills in financial management, communication skills, conflict solving skills, networking, and rewarding skills. Integrating all these aspects to define the profile of a future chairperson has not been possible in the field of academic medicine.