Leadership Skill Building

Making It Memorable and Doable (a Lesson from My Granddaughters)

Making It Memorable and Doable (a Lesson from My Granddaughters)

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It’s no secret that healthcare workers have a lot on their plates. The easier we can make it for them to remember and do things, the better. I’ve noticed this is true for the people I work with. And I know it’s true for me! I saw this principle play out recently when I taught my granddaughters “My Favorite Things,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Julie Andrews made famous in The Sound of Music. I expected…
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Leaders Learn Differently. The Right Development Reflects That.

Leaders Learn Differently. The Right Development Reflects That.

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When faced with a new challenge, what do you do first? Do you start by gathering data? Do you talk it through with colleagues? Do you jump in and try something and adjust along the way? When learning a new skill, do you seek structured instruction or an opportunity to practice? We all learn differently. This (of course) applies to our leaders too. These differences can affect how well they do their job, which in…
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APCs Are Being Asked to Lead. Let’s Help Them Do It Even Better.

APCs Are Being Asked to Lead. Let’s Help Them Do It Even Better.

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When healthcare leaders think about advanced practice clinicians (APCs), the conversation often starts with staffing. Where do we have a gap? Where do we need more coverage? Where can we add capacity? Those are important questions. But I believe there is another question we need to be asking as well: Are we developing our APCs to lead? Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, CRNAs, and other advanced practice clinicians are essential to healthcare today. They are helping improve access, extend…
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Recognition Isn’t “Soft.” It’s a Needed Leadership Skill.

Recognition Isn’t “Soft.” It’s a Needed Leadership Skill.

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I have many teachers. Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick are two of them. They are best-selling authors, presenters, and coaches. Chester has presented in Pensacola, Florida, at the yearly EntreCon conference. Adrian and Chester appeared on a podcast with me. Adrian’s recent article that appeared in Forbes grabbed my attention: “The ‘Soft’ Leadership Skill That Shows Up on the Balance Sheet.” In it, Adrian outlines how skills considered soft have a large impact on the success of an…
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Leadership Development: Healthcare’s Most Underused Advantage

Leadership Development: Healthcare’s Most Underused Advantage

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Every day, healthcare organizations promote some of their best people. Charge nurses become managers. Clinicians become department heads. Physicians step into administrative roles. These are people who’ve already proven they’re talented, trusted, and committed to the mission. But here’s the question: are they as equipped to lead people as they are to deliver care? The reality is, clinical and technical competency and leadership competency are entirely different skill sets. Organizations that recognize the difference, and…
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Who Is Really Responsible for Your Development?

Who Is Really Responsible for Your Development?

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I write more on personal and professional development than any other topic. In my book The Busy Leader’s Handbook: How to Lead People and Places That Thrive, the first chapter sets the foundation for a person’s development. The two main components are self-awareness and coachability.  Willingness is key to both: willingness to hold up the mirror to oneself and willingness to seek out coaches and coaching. Please think of the coach’s work in its broadest sense. A coach…
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Park Ranger Leadership: The Cost of Always Coming to the Rescue

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I was fortunate to be with leaders from Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, IL. I presented on Park Ranger Leadership. The fable centers on a person who gets lost hiking in the woods. He immediately starts working hard to get back on track. He tries to retrace his steps, look at the location of the sun, searches for moss on the side of a tree, etc. After 30 minutes or so, a park…
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Some Lessons Are Worth Repeating (and a New Tip from Mike Harbour).

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When one writes hundreds of columns, certain themes show up over and over. A reason is that there are areas in leadership in which people consistently struggle to achieve and sustain great results. Plus, there are new leaders. Close to half the people in a supervisory role are either new to leadership or are in a new supervisory role or a new organization. I benefit from repetition and reminders. I hear or read something that…
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Why New Leaders Struggle…and How to Set Them Up to Succeed

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When a person is asked to take on a leadership role, it is done with good intentions. The person does not do as well as hoped. Why? There are a variety of factors, and most can be avoided. While there are people who seek a leadership role early on, most who end up there do not take that route. A manager resigns. The leader’s job is to find a replacement. The first place to look…
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Transparency Builds Accountability…and Accountability Creates Students

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When performance is visible, accountability follows. Being transparent with goals and outcomes achieves alignment and clarity. It demonstrates progress. It shows which people and areas are performing the best. Transparency puts performance in the light. This reduces gossip, excuses, and misinformation. For example, a leader is not doing well in customer satisfaction. They feel the issue is the measurement tool or the staffing model. When the overall results are shared, it is evident that other…
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