Leadership – The biggest challenge in healthcare

  1. The operational challenges facing acute care organizations have never been greater. Workforce vacancies and the cost of temporary workforce solutions have never been as significant as today. There really is not relief in sight. The education pipeline is not big enough.

  2. Annual growth in volume is essential to a healthy organization. Revenues are largely fixed and never outpace the inflation of expenditures year over year. This requires capital and an infrastructure to achieve with regularity and in some markets, it is almost impossible. The real challenge for leaders is around change management and culture.

  3. Is the workforce capable of making the changes necessary to address these and other concerns on our horizon? Past success will not translate into future success yet it has reinforced and fed the cultures that exist today. The operating model in every organization will be tested, if it is not contributing to transparency, employee engagement, effective decision making, diversity, equity and inclusion across the organization then addressing the issues in front of us will be that much harder.

  4. Innovation has never been more important as new entrants to clinical delivery and healthcare are pouring into this market creating a new frontier of competition. Leaders must create new solutions that create value for the consumer. This generation of consumers does not tolerate delay, or an inferior product or service. The traditional care model must transform into a value-based solution affordable to society.

What are the keys to successful leadership?

Effective leaders must have willing followers. The path to cultivating followers begins with trust (competence in the relevant field is table stakes). Trust can only be developed through honesty, integrity, humility and transparency. And a willingness to admit mistakes and share them with others, followed by a willingness to listen and embrace feedback have been the keys to Aaron’s success as a leader for the past 30 years. Additional qualities that he embraces include:

  • Servant leadership. A desire to serve others. This includes bosses, peers, subordinates and customers (patients). This means understanding what they need for their success and delivering it. This contributes to priorities placed on team building and individual development of direct reports.

  • Accountability. Aaron takes responsibility for progress and success. It is measured. Progress is monitored and he thinks creatively with others to improve or gain ground on goals and strategies.

  • Visibility. It is critical to be among those who have trusted Aaron’s leadership. Rounding on teams, participating in organization wide activities. Asking questions to learn about the experience of those he is responsible to serve. Engaging others in the problems of the organization and potential solutions is a must.

  • A sense of urgency. He is in motion working in every moment to secure results, understand issues, assess progress, consider alternatives.

Great books a leader should read: