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Promoting Physician Alignment Through Evidence-Based Selection Practices: Getting Your Docs in a Row

Have you ever hired a physician leader who you thought would be great and who ultimately did not meet your expectations?

Have you ever been hired by someone who you subsequently learned you were not compatible with?
Effective physician leadership is more critical than ever before for hospitals as well as for health systems, clinics, clinically integrated networks, and others. A seasoned physician leader…

Evidence-Based Best Practice People Strategies: Sustaining the Mission of Catholic Healthcare

Catholic healthcare organizations face several unique challenges beyond those of most other providers. The current article describes several evidence-based people strategies, along with their rationales and supportive case studies, used by progressive catholic health systems throughout the country to:
– Provide direction in leading others,
– Serve their Mission of providing quality care for those in need,
– Improve their effectiveness and efficiency as stewards with limited resources, and
– Become work communities of choice who actively engage…

Airlines vs. Healthcare: How Airlines Would Run Our Hospitals

During a recent business trip, I began to contemplate how airline executives might redesign things if they ran our hospitals:
– The more emergent your needs, the more you will be charged.
– You must show up in the ED at least 2 hours before you can expect to be seen.
– You must prepay for your service in entirety and you may be ineligible for any refunds or may be required to pay penalties if your needs change.
– Although there is a two tiered payment system, your safety cannot be assured with either…

Succession Planning: A Business Case

[Published by The Governance Institute in the Board Room Press – October 2003]

Recent research with 80 Presidents and CEOs of some of the most successful acute care health systems and hospitals in the US found that succession planning is not included among their greatest priorities and challenges over the next two years. This should concern board members and others responsible for overseeing these organizations’ best interests and long-term goals, as this contrasts directly with…

The objective of Succession Planning is to provide continuity of management to ensure that the organization has the right leaders in the right places at the right time.

Essentially, it is about how to plan and align human resources with the overall business planning process. Succession Planning (or Management Continuity Planning), as part of HR Planning, is about preparing successors to assume key roles within the business, particularly during critical points of a business’s growth and development cycles. At its most fundamental level, succession planning is a…

CEO Evaluation: By-Laws vs. Reality

“The affairs of an organization must be managed under the direction of the Board. This does not mean, however, that the Board manages the organization on a day-to-day basis, since most, if not all management functions have been delegated to the CEO. The Board, however, retains the ultimate direction and control over the activities of the CEO and where appropriate, others on the senior management team.”

The statement above is an example of what typically is contained in the by-laws for governing boards of many organizations. Fundamentally, it says that the board sets broad direction for the corporation with the CEO along with his/her staff, who, acting as agents, carry out these directives. Essentially, the CEO is the single linking pin, connecting the organization’s human, financial and physical assets back to the Board.

Thus, there is no more important duty of a board than the hiring of the right CEO. Once, the hiring decision has been made, another critical duty is to…

Developing An Effective Selection Process: Controlling What You Can

“Given the many things that businesses can’t control, from the uncertain state of the economy to the unpredictable actions of competitors, You’d think companies would pay careful attention to the one thing they can control – the quality of their people, especially those in the leadership pool. An organization’s human beings are its most reliable resource for generating excellent results year after year. Their judgments, experiences, and capabilities make the difference between success and failure. (Bossidy, L., & Charan, R., EXECUTION: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. New York, NY: 2002, Crown Business).”
Today, more than ever, it is critical that organizations get it right when it comes to hiring decisions. It seems the message is being heard loud and clear, as the industry trend of conducting an in-depth selection assessment of your critical leaders is becoming more and more prevalent.

What are the vital components of a strong selection process? First, it is important to have a clear picture of what you are looking for, then you can define your process. We recommend an initial screening for technical competencies. Once you are assured a person is qualified, a two-interview process incorporating your key stakeholders should be next. Interviews should be behaviorally based and linked back to your job analysis. Your top candidates also should include completion of a valid assessment tool and a reference check. Below are some suggestions on each area…