(2005, September/October). Healthcare Executive, the official magazine of the American College of Healthcare Executives
From the Perspective of the CEO
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Professional Pointers
The Synergy Organization recently conducted personal interviews with 80 chief executive officers of U.S. acute care hospitals and health-care systems independently recognized for achieving superior results in such areas as quality, patient and employee satisfaction, productivity, efficiency, and profitability. As you move up the management ladder, consider how you can learn from what these CEOs said…
What is the one thing you have done that has contributed the most to your career success?
Built relationships with open and honest communication..28%
Worked toward personal growth and developed interpersonal skills..26%
Surrounded myself with great people..16%
Had a clear vision and focused on patient care..11%
Over the course of your career, what have you found to be the three most critical characteristics of people you have worked with most closely?
Integrity, honesty, trustworthiness, straightforwardness..75%
Strong interpersonal and communication skills…..30%
Intelligence..21%
Focus on mission and patient..18%
Team player..18%
When you have made changes in your senior executive team, how frequently was it because executives lacked adequate technical knowledge versus because they just didn’t have the right leadership style and personality and didn’t fit the job or the people around them?
Didn’t have the right leadership style and personality..91%
50/50..6%
Lacked technical Knowledge..2%
How do you feel about using personality and leadership assessments in your present organization with your current and potential leaders for selection, development, and retention purposes?
Assessments are very critical to the organization’s success..50%
Assessments are beneficial if used with other information..19%
I haven’t used assessments, but they could be useful..14%
I have never used assessments/ have no opinion..10%
I don’t believe assessments are useful..7%
Looking back at certain team members you have worked with in various organizations (not just your current one), what three things would you have liked to know about them in advance?
Value?..50%
Leadership style..31%
Interpersonal skills..31%
Work ethic..31%