Becker's Spine Review

21 21 HEALTHCARE NEWS The advice CEOs put to use in their 1st year on the job By Kelly Gooch A number of hospitals and health systems appointed new CEOs early last year. ough these CEOs were new to the role and maybe even to the organization, they brought with them past experiences and lessons learned from others, which they were able to use to be a part of meaningful change during their first months on the job. Becker's asked CEOs who have been in their roles for less than a year and a half to respond to the question, "What advice did you receive that led to meaningful change during their first year at the organization?" Here's how they responded. Editor's note: Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity. Brian Canfield. President and CEO of Blessing Health System (Quincy, Ill.): First impressions are lasting impressions. Set the direction/strategy for the next year and beyond. Welcome feedback from all sources, internal and external. Empower leaders to be leaders and be accountable for their actions. Listen, listen and listen more. Communicate, communicate and communicate more. Make informed and timely decisions and stand behind them. Always keep the board informed. ese are lessons from my time in the Army at various stages of my career, military and non-military professional education, American College of Healthcare Executives education that I attended, and demonstrated lessons from a few key leaders with whom I worked that were much smarter than me. Buffy Key. CEO of Cookeville (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center: Listening and being aware of the organization is so important as you enter into a new role in leadership. With this awareness, you can see what needs to be prioritized. As CEO of Cookeville Regional Medical Center, I have spent time refreshing and reestablishing relationships, programs and employee morale. If we focus on our people, they will care for our patients even better. If we rebuild relationships, they will be our biggest cheerleader. If we see the needs of our community, we can help build a healthier community for them. Ric Ransom. CEO of MU Health Care (Columbia, Mo.): I received some advice from Alan Kaplan, MD, CEO of Madison-based University of Wisconsin Health, that has been invaluable to me in my first year at the University of Missouri Health Care. Alan and I were having a conversation about being able to delegate effectively to the teams that we work with in the C-suite. As part of that conversation, Alan suggested that I ask myself three questions to help evaluate if a project or initiative required my direct involvement or if it would be best to have another leader on my team drive the work. e questions are: 1. Am I the only person who can do this? 2. Am I the best person to do this? 3. Am I considering getting involved primarily because I am interested in it or because I like the subject matter? Asking myself these questions when looking at major initiatives has helped me best support the work of our amazing team. A recent example of this is our successful integration with Jefferson City, Mo.- based Capital Region Medical Center. Alan's advice has helped me to become more deliberate and effective in how I support their work. Jason Rounds. President and CEO of San Juan Regional Medical Center (Farmington, N.M.): e best advice I received was to increase communication across all parts of the organization, beginning with There's a new financial 'talent hub' — and it's not New York By Alexis Kayser F or finance experts looking for a place to launch, Dal- las is the new New York, according to a recent report from Korn Ferry. Dallas and its suburbs, like Mesquite and Farmer's Branch, have exploded onto the financial talent scene in recent years. Three of Wall Street's largest banks have opened regional hubs in the Dallas area, which now has the second-highest concentration of financial service workers in the nation — beating out both Chicago and Los Angeles, according to the management consulting firm. It's not a top-down migration, but a bottom-up one, said Chad Astmann, co-head of Korn Ferry's global investment management practice. Although companies can also ben- efit from Texas' cheap real estate and tax breaks, workers made the move first; now, firms are just following the tal- ent. Dallas is also coveted for its highways, public transporta- tion and major airport access, making it easy to reach from the coasts. As work shifts from the traditional office setting to remote and hybrid forms of collaboration, companies will contin- ue to launch new business ventures outside of their indus- try's original hub, according to Korn Ferry. "Great investment ideas don't need the physical trappings of power-lunch restaurants, fancy private clubs, and ex- pensive boardrooms," Mr. Astmann said. n

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