In 1996, I left the role of senior vice president of Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago, IL, for the role of administrator/president of Baptist Hospital, Inc., in Pensacola, FL. At that time, Mark Clement, the president of Holy Cross Hospital, gave me a gift. It was a letter with suggestions to help me get off to a good start at Baptist. I have regifted this to many people who were taking a new job. While…

“Less is more” is a common term; however, it is very uncommonly practiced. It seems there is a natural tendency to feel that the more actions taken, the better the results. Then there is the difficult decision of how much “less” is too much “less.” Like many things, at times, the statement can be taken too literally. Great leaders know how to find that balance. They also know how to prioritize which actions will have…

As leaders, we know that praise, compliments, and “thank-yous” are important for many reasons. They fill people’s emotional bank accounts. They improve engagement and morale. Also, they build confidence and momentum so the employee will keep the good work coming. What gets recognized gets repeated. But sometimes, if we’re not careful, we can suck the life out of the compliment by rushing through those good feelings and focusing on the next task too quickly. Here’s…

What is a culture of optionality? How do you know if you have one? The answer lies in the definition of optional. When something is optional, one can choose to do it…or not. When a company finds itself not getting the outcomes we want over time, it may be that a culture of optionality has developed. At times, the leader of an organization may decide to add a new tactic or make a change due…