On the Healthcare Plus podcast, I recently interviewed Leonard Friedman, PhD, FACHE, director of the Executive MHA program at the George Washington University, Washington,…
Modern Healthcare just released its 2024 Best Places to Work in Healthcare List. We were so pleased that three Healthcare Plus Solutions Group® (HPSG) partners—Floyd Lee…
All jobs have their good points and their moments of challenge. To me, one of the most challenging roles of all is done by those who work in middle management. A middle manager is not in the senior role and not in the hourly role. They are sandwiched in between and are expected to meet the needs of both groups. As discussed in this column a few years ago, the best organizations tend to be…
When can we start holding people accountable again? This is a question I frequently receive. It does not mean that there is no accountability. What it does mean is that due to staff shortages, leaders are tending to lower the bar on expectations and accountability. It makes sense. If there are not enough staff to provide service, the business may need to reduce hours. This can lead to not having enough revenue to keep the doors…
I read lots of research. That means I regularly see formulas like N=500 or N=600 or N=1,000. The N stands for number, and the number afterward stands for how many people are included in the data. In essence, for research purposes, the larger the number the better in most cases. Statistics is very interesting to me. For instance, there is a certain number at which the results are considered reliable. The higher the N, the better the…
We learn by doing. Recently a personal situation came up that I did not know how to handle. I called someone to ask for advice. The advice I received was to be compliant with the process that people with expertise were recommending. It seems the more experience I get, the easier it is to break what I once made complex down to simple steps. I believe that is true for many people. My father was…
This column is about how to lead change. I am starting with a story on traffic roundabouts. They are a great example of leading change due to people’s initial reaction to them. I live in Pensacola, Florida. I live close to 17th Street. It intersects with Main Street (Bayfront), which is a major thoroughfare for people going to and from Pensacola to Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach. When a new bridge was announced, the plans included…
As some of you know, I have started a biweekly podcast in which I chat with leaders from all industries on how they’re tackling the many challenges we face today. Most recently I had the privilege of speaking with Mark Clement, who is the CEO and president of TriHealth, a $2.1 billion healthcare system in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Click here to listen.) This was an important conversation for several reasons. One, healthcare has been one of the hardest-hit industries during…
Some people may see delegation as simple – handing off an assignment to another person. But it’s not merely a task, it’s a leadership skill. This skill doesn’t just help at work, either. They can help in a community, a church and with family. Delegation is moving action to the best place in the organization. When it’s done well, delegation frees up the manager to focus on other items, it builds depth in the organization…