Becker's Hospital Review

60 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Scripps' CEO Chris Van Gorder on the Power of Inbox-Zero By Tamara Rosin C ommunication is arguably the most essential leader- ship skill. As the head of an organization, a CEO makes decisions for and on behalf of the organization he or she leads. Effectively communi- cating these decisions to the rest of the organization is critical for ensuring buy-in and trust. On a more granular level, a leader must demonstrate this ability to communicate with others on a daily basis. When I emailed Chris Van Gorder to comment on this topic at 7:45 pm PST, he replied three minutes later. is is not unusual. Mr. Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health in San Diego, is notorious for his ability to remain in constant communication with his senior leadership team, em- ployees across the organization and even those outside of the Scripps system. He is a remarkably accessible and responsive CEO. Email is "the best tool ever invented," Mr. Van Gorder said at the Becker's Hospital Review annual conference in May. "When I go back to my hotel room, I will answer every email that has come to me while I was making this presentation." At the time, Mr. Van Gorder was actively communicating with Scripps leaders and clinicians who were stationed in Ne- pal to provide aid following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that caused more than 5,000 deaths and 10,000 injuries. He debriefed with the Scripps emergency medical response team twice a day and shared their photos and stories in systemwide daily emails. Similarly, Mr. Van Gorder said email was a critical tool for communicating with the rest of the organization when Scripps deployed its emergency medical response team to Houston af- ter Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and to Haiti aer the devastating earthquake in 2010. "What a powerful tool it became to let everyone know we were safe and doing good work," says Mr. Van Gorder. "I can hon- estly say those moments contributed to changing our culture." It is a culture in which individuals see communication as a top responsibility, as well as a valuable tool. Scripps is not the only organization to value communication. According to a re- cent Interact/Harris Poll survey of roughly 1,000 workers, 91 percent of respondents said communication issues can lower an executive's standing. A survey administered among 412 millenni- al workers, administered by Virtuali and Workplacetrends.com, found the millennial generation believes communication is the most important skill a leader should possess. In today's technology-driven era, in which a majority of com- munication happens through email, texting and video conferenc- ing, the ability to stay connected and respond promptly to others is critical. While this is true for employees at virtually all levels of an organization, it is most pertinent for leaders and managers. Responsiveness signals respect Mr. Van Gorder holds himself to a high standard of respon- siveness all the time, not just during crises, though he stresses communication is doubly important in periods such as these. "My strategy [for communication] is simple. Being respon- sive is a sign of respect, which is one of our core values as an organization. I've always thought that if someone takes the time to send me a note, I should take the time in return to respond in an appropriate way," he says. "Since we are a 24/7 organization, the first thing I do in the morning before I even head to work is answer any note that came to me during the night, and the last thing I do before going to bed is make sure I didn't miss any during the day." Because Scripps is such a large system — five hospital cam- puses, 16 clinics, 12 medical centers, 23 specialty clinics and two wellbeing centers — it is impossible to connect with everyone physically. rough email, Mr. Van Gorder connects with execu- tives and managers across various locations, in addition to indi- viduals with whom he communicates regularly. Some of the most valuable information he receives comes from physicians, man- agers, volunteers and other frontlines workers. It is this type of communication that allows Mr. Van Gorder to understand the true pulse of the organization. "I have some employees who email me regularly, which gives me the chance to ask them personally how it is going in their hospital or unit. at's information I could never get in a report or probably even in a group discussion," he says. Leaders are on the receiving end of a constant stream of re- ports and information, but sometimes the most important infor- mation is filtered out — either intentionally or unintentionally, according to Mr. Van Gorder. e best way to access this infor- mation is to go out in the field and talk to people face-to-face, which Mr. Van Gorder does at least once a week. However, when more frequent communication is needed or when something is pressing, email is the most effective mode of communication. Can connectivity to email become too much? e ability to reply to emails promptly throughout the day is important and even required in many jobs. However, there are different philosophies regarding the need to write and respond to

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