How Healthcare Industry Leaders Succeed – Exceptional Cultures
Healthcare is not just a driver of our economy, at 17% of the GDP, it is more significantly at the core of our very well-being. I was interested to clarify what America’s best healthcare providers do to stay on top. The answer from all the five I interviewed — including the leaders in: integrated health, acute care hospital systems, behavioral health and pediatric health — was a resounding one word … culture.
This is reinforced by Peter Drucker, arguably the greatest business thought leader of the last century, who famously asserted, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Culture and strategy execution expert Jessica Skon, CEO, BTS, provided her perspective that underscores this premise. “Companies that treat culture as an accelerator of their strategy reach their goals faster than those that treat it as an afterthought. An organization’s culture is created either intentionally or by happenstance and will either drive success or derail it. CEOs who get intentional in evolving their organization’s culture deliver lasting impact and accelerate their strategic direction.”
In this article I share the thoughts and unique practices as emphasized by their CEOs. The companies interviewed include: Boston Children’s Hospital, Northwell Health, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health and Universal Health Services.
COMMUNICATION – THE FOUNDATION
Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, which is New York State’s largest healthcare provider with 21 hospitals and nearly 90,000 employees, shares the importance of communication, “Communication, connection and collaboration are the core of a great culture. So, every week, for the past 20 years, I meet with all the new hires face-to-face to share the values and mission and to listen to their questions. I also take 40 front-line staff out to dinner every week, and nearly every morning, I meet for breakfast with employees at all levels. It’s all about sending a message that we do great work, what we do matters and what we do is important. How the CEO and top leadership carry themselves in interacting with staff makes the big difference.”
UNIQUE PRACTICES BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
Northwell also has numerous unique practices to galvanize the culture while giving back to the community and advancing wellness. Through employee donations, for instance, we opened a store offering clothing to needy individuals in the community. Employee recognition is a major focus for us. Every year, we host a cooking competition called ‘Chef’s Challenge’ where gourmet meals prepared by our hospital chefs are judged by a panel of culinary and wellness experts. Through our annual `Innovation Challenge,’ Northwell awards more than $1 million toward employee-driven projects that help advance the future of health care. The ‘President’s Awards’ competition showcases individuals and teams who inspire their colleagues with motivational stories of compassion, resilience, teamwork and innovation. And the ‘Truly Awards’ recognize physicians who’ve gone above and beyond to raise the standard of care for their patients, colleagues and communities. Dowling sums up his philosophy, “I spend more of my time on the people part of our business than anything else because employees are your greatest asset.”
LEADERS SET THE CULTURE RHYTHM
Warner Thomas, has helped advance a world class culture at Sutter Health for the 57,000 employees serving 24 hospitals. Thomas explains the CEO’s role in building culture, “In today's world—and especially in the changing healthcare landscape—good leaders are good communicators who drive a culture built on transparency, alignment and trust. Setting culture begins at the top, and everyone has a role to play. To achieve that, they establish clear goals and metrics, and make sure their people know the team’s priorities and focus areas. Effective leaders set a rhythm for their team to discuss and advance these priorities. They set a meeting cadence that keeps the team informed and in sync. I recommend daily huddles, weekly team meetings, monthly operating reviews, quarterly strategy sessions and an annual team retreat. This kind of rhythm helps create clarity by ensuring a team knows the why, how and what.”
DIFFERENCES ARE STRENGTH
Kevin B. Churchwell M.D. is President and CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, founded in 1869 and consistently ranked as a top pediatric center and operates as an affiliate to Harvard Medical School, shares the communication practice that has helped unleashed their true culture, “We empower our people to lead and connect through Employee Led Groups (ELGs) and other physician, trainee and research forums, building bridges across cultures and shared interests. ELGs are not unique to Boston Children’s, but we take pride in the number and variety we have, reminding us that our differences make us stronger.”
LEARNING CREATES EMPOWERMENT
Kaiser Permanente created the original integrated, value-based care model over 75 years ago. Dr. Maria Ansari, CEO, The Permanente Medical Group shares the philosophy for a learning culture and how that works in the Kaiser Permanente model, “In our integrated care model, we focus on investing in professional development, physician leadership and team engagement. This approach empowers care teams to provide exceptional care, impacting quality, patient experience, and innovation, while increasing morale and job satisfaction.”
THE POWER OF CONNECTION - THE PATH TO EXCELLENCE
Marc D. Miller, President & CEO of Universal Health Services, the leader in one of the fastest growing and essential segments of healthcare – behavioral health — operates through its subsidiaries 333 behavioral health hospitals plus 28 medical-surgical hospitals and employs 96,000 employees. Marc reinforces that culture is all about the team and the key to a great culture starts with communication. At the Corporate Office, he hosts Q&A style town halls, for each department on a rolling annual basis., “I value the ability to engage directly with our teams, listening to their perspectives and interacting directly with them.
For example, a recent (and popular) question employees inquire about is the topic of AI – how it is changing the healthcare field, how it is supplementing/supporting our back-office operations, and what our UHS plans are for appropriate, careful and thoughtful exploration and implementation. Employees gain insights into my point of view on current business topics, leadership priorities, trends and challenges in healthcare, government policy issues and more. I firmly believe this and other systematic communication platforms lead to an intentional and consistent focus on excellence.”