Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/351959
55 Leadership & Management Analytically, they must understand the dramatic shifts taking place in the industry and grasp the many implications for business and operations. Rela- tionally, they must forge partnerships, establish trust and implement change within the organization and with strategic partners. Sheer intellect, personal- ity and industry acumen are important, but not sufficient for executives who must think systemically and build complicated networks of care. Many CEOs are restructuring their teams to yield greater impact with fewer people. In some cases, they are accessing talent from other industries to di- versify skills and introduce fresh perspectives needed to create a sustainable delivery system. 5. Identify and focus on the important. Across the board, the CEOs we spoke with are concerned about the volume and velocity of work everyone is facing. Many are worried that top talent will burn out from the perpetual intensity. As noted earlier, introducing a new playbook while continuing to operate a traditional model of care causes substantial "noise" and diversions to overcome. As a result, CEOs must introduce new practices to ensure ongo- ing interaction and interdependence among senior team members. In positioning a hospital for long-term success, the CEO, in tandem with ex- ecutive leadership, needs to regularly step back to reassess priorities, ensure clear focus and continually ask, "What can we stop doing?" To facilitate time for reflection, CEOs are holding quarterly retreats with their executive teams to align interests, priorities and sharpen the focus on what is important. Half-day, weekly executive team meetings are becoming commonplace venues to discuss operations and reinforce strategic priorities, culture, metrics and focus on the patient. Concurrently, a similar conversation is taking place throughout the delivery system. Physicians, managers and employees are becoming engaged as everyone pulls together to learn their positions and roles in the new playbook. A brave new world While change is daunting, many of the executives we spoke with are inspired by the new, wide-open landscape before them. "The national change is creat- ing energy," said the head of a faith-based hospital network in the Midwest. The challenge, he noted, is "harnessing that energy to move healthcare in a direction that clearly benefits today's delivery systems — and, most of all, patients and communities." n