Welcome to the Leadership in Healthcare Center of Excellence
In a typical change model, three continuums are usually identified, namely: data/technology, organizational/people and process/workflows. There is another very important part that has to also be addressed – leadership. Leadership is not a continuum but it must be present in each stage of each continuum and it must be consistent throughout the transformation. It is the most important critical success factor in any change management situation. It is often known as Executive Sponsorship in Lean Six Sigma or Project Management training. It is the foundation of any successful transformation.
Executive leadership involves making sure the needed resources are available to complete the project, including financial and personnel resources. It involves having a vision for where the organization and the team is going. Building credibility with the team members will be essential to raising them to the potential. A credible leader will be able to get his/her followers to go over and above the basic requirements of the job.
Without the right support, the right resources may not be allocated or acquired when needed to help complete the project. Therefore, the executive has to take an active role in the implementation process and realize that there is a time to lead (speak) and a time to follow (listen). This support has to extend beyond the start of the project as the executive needs to be engaged throughout the project implementation.
To be successful, executives will need to use all of their leadership skills to put their people in a winnable situation and to get them to willingly go over and beyond what they normally would contribute.
A relevant analogy is that of a baseball centerfielder running into the wall to make the catch for his team. He realizes that he might hurt himself (and many have), but he believes that helping his team win the game is more important than his personal safety. A leader must be willing to ‘go to the wall’ for his/her staff and as a leader, the staff may have to do the same someday. Good leadership will help them feel good about making that choice.
Articles
- The ONE True but Rare Leadership Quality, LinkedIn Pulse, August 2015
- In Change Management, Start With Champions, Not Antagonists, Forbes.com, June 2015
- Ten Rules for Great Leadership from Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy, LinkedIn Pulse, June 2015
- Warning: Education May be Harmful to the Health of your Company, LinkedIn Pulse, June 2015
- The Leadership Behavior That’s Most Important to Employees, Harvard Business Review, May 2015
- 21 Great Leadership Quotes from Movies, from movieleadership.com, 2015
- How Great Leaders Create Great Moments, from Linkedin Pulse, May 2015
- The Science Of Storytelling, from Business2Community.com, May 2015
- Two Counter Intuitive Ways to Get Someone’s Attention, from LinkedIn Pulse, May 2015
Blogs
- Start With Champions, Not Antagonists – Like the Dancing Shirtless Guy, J. Bryan Bennett, July 2015
- Social Leadership Lessons from a Man in a Bow Tie, J. Bryan Bennett, June 2015
- The Root Cause of Many EHR Implementation Failures is Bad Leadership, by J. Bryan Bennett, July 2014
- Leadership Skills Needed for a Successful Healthcare Transformation, by J. Bryan Bennett, December 2013
Videos