Becker's Hospital Review

20 Leadership & Strategy When Mr. Wiechart took the helm of Capella Healthcare as president and CEO in January 2014, he had already had executive experience at the sys- tem, having served as senior vice president and COO from 2009 to 2013. While he notes he was able to much more easily adjust to the position than someone completely new to the organization could, Mr. Wiechart still identified certain areas he needed to reexamine from a top leader's point of view. One of the first things he wanted to do in his new role was broaden com- munication with all employees, so someone suggested he start a blog. While he was wary of the author-centric nature of blogs, he realized he could make his posts relevant to his employees by writing about relatable topics from a personal point of view. The first two posts he wrote about were descriptions of personal experiences that had profound effects on both his personal and professional life: His first job as an accountant at the hospital where his mother worked as a nurse, and the life-changing opportunity he had to care for his dad during his final months with cancer. "Frankly, I was amazed at the positive feedback I got from employees and others from these very personal stories. And, while it was diffi- cult for me to share such personal experiences, I think it's important for leaders to communicate candidly and make themselves vulnerable. That's one of the ways you earn trust and make yourself approachable," says Mr. Wiechart. n B ecker's Hospital Review asked three lead- ers from around the country to share the advice nobody told them before their first day as hospital and health system CEOs. Respondents gave a variety of answers, ranging from the importance of communication, problem solving and accountability to preparing to meet healthcare's unpredictable and increasingly com- plex standards and regulations. Steven Goldstein, CEO of Strong Memorial Hospital (Rochester, N.Y.). I never understood the range of problem solving I would be involved in — the constant need for problem solving is an inherent part of the business. The amount of broad knowledge that's required in such a diverse set of subjects can be quite overwhelming. And while you're called upon to be involved in decision mak- ing, it can't be just you — there needs to be an or- ganizational approach to listening and coming up with what is the right solution for the organization. Before I became a CEO, I didn't appreciate the fact that a CEO thinks about the job constantly. You're thinking about multiple institutions and your responsibilities to their communities literally all the time. It's truly a 15-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week position. The question of a work-life balance has never been, for me, a very viable conversation, be- cause this kinds of position requires your atten- tion all of the time. When I started, I also didn't appreciate the enor- mous responsibility that I would have to commu- nicate, both in terms of written communication and the ability to speak to multiple audiences on numerous subjects in ways that articulate the goals and aspirations of the institution. When I started as CEO, I didn't appreciate that all of the forces of our society — economic, legal, human resources, medical, ethics, etc. — come to bear in managing a healthcare institution. You must be intellectually curious and have to con- stantly be aware of the challenges that your or- ganization will face and help prepare the organi- zation to meet them. At the same time, you have to understand you are not going to predict every crisis and issue. You must manage these in a way that instills confidence in the management team and how they confront issues. Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health (San Diego). Nobody told me how important it was to care for your people and earn their trust. Most healthcare CEOs are trained to focus on strategy, meeting budget targets, ensuring quality and achieving patient satisfaction — all ex- tremely important, of course. But they don't realize that it's your people that accomplish that, and truly caring for and connecting with them makes every- thing else possible. As we move our organizations to a value-based care model, the cost of the delivery system becomes very important, and the number one expense in most, if not all, of our organizations is people. Early on in my career — in my first CEO position — I took over a hospital already in bond-default. I had no choice but to initiate a layoff to keep the hospital open. Frankly, it was one of the most painful things I have ever done. I had worked in that hospital before and had worked side-by- side with many people I had to terminate. And many of those who lost their jobs had not done anything wrong — they cared for patients. It was at that time that I realized a layoff was, in many The Advice Nobody Gave Me Before I Became a CEO: 3 Chiefs Weigh In By Tamara Rosin Steven Goldstein Chris Van Gorder Michael J. Dowling

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