Forward-thinking health systems are dedicated to building future hospital leaders in their organizations and communities. Everyone benefits from this kind of development: the employee, who gains leadership experience and respect; the hospital, which acquires a pool of capable leaders ready to fill executive positions; and the industry, which sees an influx of great minds even as historic leaders retire. Here Rulon Stacey, CEO of Poudre Valley Health System in Fort Collins, Colo., and incoming chairman of the American College of Healthcare Executives, discusses six ways PVHS grows future healthcare leaders.
1. Meet with every new employee. At the beginning of every employee's tenure, Mr. Stacey meets with the staff member and tells them, "I want this to be the single best job you have ever had in your life." He says the organization is serious about that. "If we don't meet our goal in providing them the best job, it's not realistic for them to provide the best care," he says. Meeting with every new employee in the first days of their employment shows that you are serious about their success with the organization. It also removes perceived barriers between the administration and the hospital staff; if a new lab tech has met the CEO personally to discuss his personal goals, he is more likely to feel that the administration truly wants to see him promoted.
2. Donate to local colleges. Poudre Valley Health System pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to local colleges to help support faculty and instructors set up great programs for students, Mr. Stacey says. "We then give contracts to those students that if they'll go into these programs, we'll help them pay for their schooling if they'll come back and work for us when they're done with school," he says. Investing in the future is essential. Provider shortages are already crippling recruitment across the country, and shortages are only expected to increase as baby boomers hit retirement. If you can help local colleges produce more healthcare professionals by donating money for scholarships, you will benefit down the road when a steady stream of college graduates is familiar with your hospital and ready to join the workforce.
3. Provide funding for training in an employee's field. If your employees want to pursue higher degrees or credentialing, help them make it happen. Many employees want to go back to school but don't have the funds to do so, especially when they're working full-time to pay the bills in the first place. Poudre Valley Health System gives every employee the opportunity to apply for tuition if they go to school in an area that benefits their field. The system's foundation also gives dozens of scholarships to employees for educational pursuits. "We don't train them to go be an auto mechanic, but if it's in their field or it's something the organization needs, we'll pay for it," Mr. Stacey says.
4. Set up a formal mentor program. According to a recent survey by Cejka Search and AGMA, over half of physician groups believe instituting a formal mentor program helps retain providers. If providers and staff members can rely on a more experienced staff member for guidance and advice, they are less likely to become discouraged and more likely to pursue opportunities within the organization. Poudre Valley Health System has instituted a formal mentor program whereby someone in the organization can identify a leader in the organization they would like to learn from. The system monitors the relationship through the human resources department, and the two employees can hold regular meetings and stay in contact as issues come up at work. "It's somebody the person can call and ask, 'Am I doing this right? What is your advice?'" Mr. Stacey says.
5. Help employees understand their weaknesses and strengths. PVHS uses a personality profile tool called The Thomas Concept to help employees understand their strengths and weaknesses. A tool like this can help identify future leaders and give direction to blossoming employees who may need work in some areas. The organization also centers its annual performance evaluation around six strategic organization objectives, which every employee should be able to relate to their personal work, and several behavioral standards that mirror the values of the system. "At the end of every evaluation, ever employee fills out a little goal card that has three things every employee can do to promote the vision of PVHS," Mr. Stacey says. "The first thing is to live our behavioral standards, and the second two are blank. Each employee fills in those blank areas as to what they personally are going to do in the coming year to promote PVHS' vision." The employees wear those cards around their necks to promote focus on personal improvement.
6. Extend your succession plan as far down as possible. Mr. Stacey says Poudre Valley Health System's succession plan works down as far as possible through the organization to identify future leaders. "We are always thinking, 'If one of our leaders went away, what are we doing to train a person to take their place?'" he says. This means identifying managers throughout the organization — not just in the very top tier — who have the potential to sit in the C-suite. To build those leadership skills in managers, the system has a leadership program where employees can learn the "building blocks of leadership" and the system's philosophy. "We've specifically and strategically identified people who will work well with our culture, and once they're here, we start to train them," Mr. Stacey says.
Read more about Poudre Valley Health System.
Read more on employee development:
-The Top 10 Challenges Facing Healthcare Workers
-8 Ways Top Hospital Leaders Encourage Employee Development
1. Meet with every new employee. At the beginning of every employee's tenure, Mr. Stacey meets with the staff member and tells them, "I want this to be the single best job you have ever had in your life." He says the organization is serious about that. "If we don't meet our goal in providing them the best job, it's not realistic for them to provide the best care," he says. Meeting with every new employee in the first days of their employment shows that you are serious about their success with the organization. It also removes perceived barriers between the administration and the hospital staff; if a new lab tech has met the CEO personally to discuss his personal goals, he is more likely to feel that the administration truly wants to see him promoted.
2. Donate to local colleges. Poudre Valley Health System pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to local colleges to help support faculty and instructors set up great programs for students, Mr. Stacey says. "We then give contracts to those students that if they'll go into these programs, we'll help them pay for their schooling if they'll come back and work for us when they're done with school," he says. Investing in the future is essential. Provider shortages are already crippling recruitment across the country, and shortages are only expected to increase as baby boomers hit retirement. If you can help local colleges produce more healthcare professionals by donating money for scholarships, you will benefit down the road when a steady stream of college graduates is familiar with your hospital and ready to join the workforce.
3. Provide funding for training in an employee's field. If your employees want to pursue higher degrees or credentialing, help them make it happen. Many employees want to go back to school but don't have the funds to do so, especially when they're working full-time to pay the bills in the first place. Poudre Valley Health System gives every employee the opportunity to apply for tuition if they go to school in an area that benefits their field. The system's foundation also gives dozens of scholarships to employees for educational pursuits. "We don't train them to go be an auto mechanic, but if it's in their field or it's something the organization needs, we'll pay for it," Mr. Stacey says.
4. Set up a formal mentor program. According to a recent survey by Cejka Search and AGMA, over half of physician groups believe instituting a formal mentor program helps retain providers. If providers and staff members can rely on a more experienced staff member for guidance and advice, they are less likely to become discouraged and more likely to pursue opportunities within the organization. Poudre Valley Health System has instituted a formal mentor program whereby someone in the organization can identify a leader in the organization they would like to learn from. The system monitors the relationship through the human resources department, and the two employees can hold regular meetings and stay in contact as issues come up at work. "It's somebody the person can call and ask, 'Am I doing this right? What is your advice?'" Mr. Stacey says.
5. Help employees understand their weaknesses and strengths. PVHS uses a personality profile tool called The Thomas Concept to help employees understand their strengths and weaknesses. A tool like this can help identify future leaders and give direction to blossoming employees who may need work in some areas. The organization also centers its annual performance evaluation around six strategic organization objectives, which every employee should be able to relate to their personal work, and several behavioral standards that mirror the values of the system. "At the end of every evaluation, ever employee fills out a little goal card that has three things every employee can do to promote the vision of PVHS," Mr. Stacey says. "The first thing is to live our behavioral standards, and the second two are blank. Each employee fills in those blank areas as to what they personally are going to do in the coming year to promote PVHS' vision." The employees wear those cards around their necks to promote focus on personal improvement.
6. Extend your succession plan as far down as possible. Mr. Stacey says Poudre Valley Health System's succession plan works down as far as possible through the organization to identify future leaders. "We are always thinking, 'If one of our leaders went away, what are we doing to train a person to take their place?'" he says. This means identifying managers throughout the organization — not just in the very top tier — who have the potential to sit in the C-suite. To build those leadership skills in managers, the system has a leadership program where employees can learn the "building blocks of leadership" and the system's philosophy. "We've specifically and strategically identified people who will work well with our culture, and once they're here, we start to train them," Mr. Stacey says.
Read more about Poudre Valley Health System.
Read more on employee development:
-The Top 10 Challenges Facing Healthcare Workers
-8 Ways Top Hospital Leaders Encourage Employee Development