Jean Ann Larson, FACHE, LFHIMSS, FIISE, serves as Chief Leadership Development Officer for UAB Health System.
On April 4th, Jean Ann will speak at Becker's Hospital Review 10th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place April 1-4, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Jean Ann's session, click here.
Question: What do innovators/entrepreneurs from outside healthcare need to better understand about hospital and health system leaders?
Jean Ann Larson: They need to understand that we are hungry for innovators with whom we can collaborate. They also need to appreciate that our leaders are pulled in many directions and their time is often limited. And though this can be challenging, the healthcare leaders I work with are extremely intelligent, creative and they are open to new ideas. The best way to engage with health system leaders is to carefully listen to them before prematurely jumping to a solution.
Q: What one strategic initiative will demand the most of your time and energy in 2019?
JAL: My strategic initiative is to provide leadership development offerings and experiences to 250 of the top leaders at our academic medical center. We are faced with more and more challenges and change each year. Only through increasing our leadership skills, can we leverage and engage all of our faculty and staff to be successful.
Q: Can you share some praise with us about people you work with? What does greatness look like to you when it comes to your team?
JAL: The top leaders who are the key stakeholders for the leadership development initiatives we roll out are incredibly intelligent and passionate about the care and knowledge they provide to the citizens of our state. Sometimes we get caught up in all the bad news of the day, but working with these leaders is inspiring. They are tireless, hardworking and always hopeful about our ability to impact positive change.