Becker's Hospital Review

27 27 CEO/STRATEGY Be 'Professionally Blunt' — 4 Tips for Developing a Great Leadership Team By Brian Zimmerman D raing and managing a successful leadership team is a so science with no fixed blueprint. However, beyond measuring organizational achieve- ments, the experience of being part of a successful leadership team can perhaps best be surmised by the colloquialism:"I know it when I see it." A hospital CEO must rely on his or her team of leaders to promote the long- term vision and culture of an organization, while also completing essential day-to-day duties. ese relationships require trust and diligent upkeep. During the Becker's Hospital Review 8th Annual meeting in Chicago April 19, Steven Little, president and CEO of Agnesian Healthcare in Fond du Lac, Wis.; Parveen Chand, COO of Indiana University Health Academic Health Center–Adult Hospitals in Indianapolis; Christopher Weaver, MD, senior vice president of clinical effectiveness at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis; and Julie Blatnik, senior director of clinical operations with Medtronic, dis- cussed leadership culture and the keys to establishing a great leadership team. Here are four tips panelists offered during the discussion. 1. Leverage the entire team for daily and long-term goals. Speaking about his 3-year tenure as COO of Indianapolis-based Eskenazi Health, Mr. Chand discussed the importance of leveraging the entire team in terms of long-term strategy and daily tasks. "Part of our work was really segmented in terms of leveraging our entire team, so deciding the specific roles of the chief nursing officer, the chief strategy officer, the CFO and deciding who is going to execute [which strategy] ... we leveraged our team to do both long-term strategy and daily operations." 2. Develop trust and eliminate territorial mentality. During the discussion, Dr. Weaver spoke about the importance of having lead- ers who are interested in team goals beyond the scope of their particular field. "Trust is the biggest key for our team," said Dr. Weaver. "We've had great suc- cess in working together and crossing into each other's area[s] ... We're not territorial at all and I think that's important ... to truly function as a team. It's about keeping an eye on the same prize." 3. Know when to ask for help. Ms. Blatnik suggested team members should feel comfortable relying on one another for assistance, which can be integrated into the organizational culture by a shared vision. "If we share the same vision and engage, identify and respect each other's diverse talent, we have to know when something is outside of [our] expertise [and] reach out," said Ms. Blatnik. 4. Be "professionally blunt." During the panel discussion, Mr. Little spoke about the importance of con- structive disagreement to optimize the decision-making process. "We make better decisions when we don't agree, respectfully and profession- ally, about why we should be moving in one direction or another, but in the end recognizing that the majority is going to rule," said Mr. Little. "It's about being professionally blunt and straightforward with each other and not candy coating difficult issues ... We have difficult problems in the industry. We better step up and face them and work together in a collaborative way." n OSU Wexner CEO Resigns Over Faculty Concerns About Leadership By Anuja Vaidya C olumbus-based Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center CEO Sheldon Retchin, MD, resigned in May following complaints about his leadership from the faculty. He is also stepping down from his position as executive vice president of health sciences at the medical center. Twenty-five Ohio State University College of Medi- cine physicians and professors signed a letter of "no confidence" in Dr. Retchin and his executive team at the beginning of May. The letter notes 100 faculty members from the college of medicine express ed the same sentiments; however, not all signed it due to fear of retaliation. Soon after, five senior members of the medical cen- ter's neurological institute also penned a letter de- tailing concerns about the leadership team. The two letters include a number of complaints. They both allege Dr. Retchin and his executives are unsupportive of physicians, leading to low morale among staff members and loss of talented physi- cians. Additionally, one letter contends Dr. Retchin's leadership strategies are driving a wedge between the medical center and the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center, where Michael Caligiuri, MD, serves as leader. Ultimately, Dr. Retchin's leadership is hurt- ing the academic mission of the hospital and med- ical college, the physicians wrote, according to The Columbus Dispatch. In a statement issued by The Ohio State University, officials thanked Dr. Retchin for his work at the med- ical center and noted some of his accomplishments, including the opening of the Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute. The statement also addressed the letters. "Although allegations raised in letters sent to the news media this week were untrue, these letters may have damaged important relationships neces- sary for continued future success, and Dr. Retchin has chosen to move on in the best interests of the university, himself and his family," the statement reads. Dr. Retchin also issued a statement via the universi- ty, where he states that the allegations in the letter are not true. "These baseless accusations have dam- aged me and the university I love. I cannot allow this to continue and so I have decided that it is in the best interest of the institution and me and my family to step aside, effective immediately." n

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