Becker's Hospital Review

112 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Start with yourself: A 6-item personal inventory for leaders By John Couris, President and CEO, Tampa General Hospital "What my work building and leading teams has taught me above all else is that the first step in defining a culture is to start with yourself." M any industry leaders would argue that there is no more chal- lenging sector to manage than healthcare. And we are all too familiar with the criticisms of our industry — slow to change, broken, outdated, etc. While I believe there are aspects of the business of healthcare that can be dramatically improved, I also think it's a space for great innovation where moonshots are possible and we can transform lives. So how then do we harness what is possible while improving an indus- try that can make do with an operational faceli? I believe the answer lies in shiing the paradigm and transforming the way we lead. Only then can we deliver the highest quality care at an affordable cost. In my role as president and CEO of Tampa General, I focus a great deal of energy on building teams and developing my leadership skills as well as those of my colleagues. I am grateful to Scott Becker and the folks here for giving me the chance to explore issues of leader- ship in healthcare (and frankly, management issues that cross sectors). Over the coming months, I hope to share best practices, as well as ideas for leading your teams, that allow your spaces of innovation to flourish. I also hope to learn from you and employ your best practices in the work I do. So where to begin? What my work building and leading teams has taught me above all else is that the first step in defining a culture is to start with yourself. I like to say, "Disruption starts with you." By this I mean, you must be willing to look inward, take an honest personal inventory, and make adjustments in your approach and style to be- come the type of leader, teammate and colleague you want and need to be. Leadership requires a change at every level — from the personal to the organizational. 1. Courage So I thought I would first examine attributes that I strive to practice in leadership and that have helped me develop and work effectively with my teams. I realize self-reflection is easier said than done. It is hard and requires courage. Courage is a crucial ingredient to leadership and one that I ascribe to and work toward each day. Side note: like everything in life, and certainly for me, the practice of leadership is a work in progress. Success does not come all at once but happens incrementally, in fits and starts. As a practitioner of courage, you have to be open to taking personal inventory and ask yourself: What am I bringing to the table? How can I give more and do better? You also have to be willing to seek (and hear) feedback from those you trust. Sometimes these folks are your toughest critics. And while courage sometimes requires you to deliver unpopular news, it is at its core a willingness to be personally account- able for all you do and all you ask of others. 2. Questioning Courage, like true innovation, also comes from questioning — ques- tioning assumptions, capacity and ability. As a team leader, you need to lead by example, asking the same questions of yourself that you have asked of others on your team. What assumptions do I need to challenge? What skills do I need to harness to not only get the job done but to motivate others as well? How can I think outside the box? How can I be both innovative and strategic, and how can I coach and inspire others to do the same? 3. Vulnerability By asking yourself these questions, you are also putting yourself in a position to be vulnerable. And by vulnerable, I don't mean put- ting yourself in a position of which to be taken advantage. I mean just the opposite. Leading through vulnerability signifies that you are willing to take a 360-degree view of yourself to decide what work you need to do to help get your team across the finish line. Leading through vulnerability demonstrates that you have an openness, a collaborative nature, a demeanor that is relatable and honest, and a demon- strated commitment to walking the walk and talking the talk — skills that are invaluable no matter what challenges your organization faces. Finally, a willingness to be vulnerable is more than leading through in- novation. It is about leading through it all. I believe vulnerability is a crucial trait of a transformational leader — a leader that I think we all aspire to be. As a transformational leader, your success (and that of your team) comes from your ability to connect and motivate others. And nothing is more powerful, more inspiring or makes a connection more meaningful than allowing yourself to be "seen" by your team members. 4. Kindness In our culture, we oen equate speed and accuracy — getting there first and doing the best —with being cold and tough. Leaders oen believe that to drive results they must drive their team with an iron fist. ey naturally assume that to gain respect and the most work out of those they manage, they must be hard as nails. ey are afraid to be seen as "so" or a "pushover." ey prioritize being right with doing the right thing. In my experience, acting tough does nothing but cause stress and friction. It results in high turnover and turmoil within teams. Who wants to work with someone who treats them this way? Loyalty and hard work aren't built on fear. ey are earned through mutual re- spect, developing relationships and gaining trust — all of which are made possible through kindness. Specifically, treating all those you encounter with a basic level of compassion and respect. When you value kindness and demonstrate that value to others, you build loyal- ty and inspire others. You also make getting the job done easier and much more enjoyable. 5. Authenticity Young(er) colleagues oen ask my mentees and I, "How do you lead?" My short two-word answer is this: "Like me." "What my work building and leading teams has taught me above all else is that the first step in defining a culture is to start with yourself." — John Couris, President and CEO,

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