Chris Howard has served as president and CEO of San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare since January 2019, and he said one of the roles of a leader is to ensure the success of an organization continues long after that leader leaves.
"At Sharp, every leader is tasked with honoring the great organization we are, which has been nurtured, grown and progressed over the years," Mr. Howard told Becker's, adding that he wants to make sure his colleagues "have the tools and resources to be successful far beyond my time here."
Before joining Sharp, Mr. Howard held roles at St. Louis-based SSM Health including COO, president of hospital operations and president of the health system's St. Louis region.
Here, Mr. Howard answers Becker's seven Corner Office questions.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: What's one thing that really piqued your interest in healthcare?
Chris Howard: I was raised by my mother, who was a registered nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla. I spent quite a bit of time around the hospital as a kid and always felt comforted by what took place there. When I began looking for work after graduating college, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to work at a community hospital in Oklahoma City. I felt such pride knowing I was working for an organization that helped so many people on a daily basis. I've never lost that sense of appreciation for the important role hospitals play in our communities — and have never once thought about doing anything else.
Q: What do you enjoy most about California?
CH: The beauty of California is hard to match — San Diego in particular. Anytime you can drive an hour and play in snow, head back and spend time at the beach, then play golf in weather that's 75 degrees and sunny, you know you live someplace special. But I must say, the people here in San Diego, and at Sharp HealthCare, are amazing. Being raised in Oklahoma, I prefer to be around friendly, helpful people who work hard and care about one another. Living here and working for an organization that delivers the Sharp Experience — our deeply ingrained culture of providing extraordinary care to our patients, one another and our community — every day to so many has truly been an amazing experience for me and my wife.
Q: If you could eliminate one of the healthcare industry's problems overnight, which would it be?
CH: I would restructure or replace the antiquated financing and unnecessarily convoluted payment structure for healthcare services in our country. The financing system for healthcare in the United States is an abyss of complexity and bureaucracy that few of us as healthcare leaders can fully explain, much less justify. We inherited this structure, of course, but the amount of human intervention and resources required, plus the time wasted, to simply be paid a fair amount in timely fashion for the work we do or have done is such a burden to our goal of delivering exceptional healthcare. It must — and likely will at some point — be reconfigured or replaced.
Q: What is your greatest talent or skill outside of the C-suite?
CH: Those who know me know I love to grill and smoke foods on one of the three BBQ pits I have. I enjoy smoking briskets and ribs, and grilling steaks, chicken, vegetables or anything else that is edible and can — and should — be thrown on an open flame. There is something about the smell of burning charcoal or wood wafting through the air while enjoying a cold beverage of choice that I am — and always will be — drawn to.
Q: How do you revitalize yourself?
CH: I enjoy playing golf, though the quality of my game does not always reflect this. My wife took up the game a couple years ago, and we try to spend one afternoon each weekend hitting the links. When you live in San Diego, spending time outdoors is something you want to, and can do, year-round. So, we take advantage of that, exploring trails, sites, restaurants and visiting parts of this fantastic region we have yet to explore. And, of course, there's the beach, which we never get tired of visiting with our dogs, especially for sunset strolls.
Q: What's one piece of advice you remember most clearly?
CH: My first several bosses spent a lot of time mentoring me about the nuances of managing the business of healthcare. They assured me change of one form or another, as well as challenges, would never cease throughout my career. They were certainly right about that. They taught me to appreciate the good times and never be daunted by the bad times, because with enough focus and hard work, there were few challenges you could not overcome. They also taught me healthcare is a people business, and that should be my top priority. I've kept that advice close to heart and it's one of many reasons I enjoy working for Sharp.
Q: What do you consider your greatest achievements at Sharp HealthCare so far?
CH: At Sharp, every leader is tasked with honoring the great organization we are, which has been nurtured, grown and progressed over the years. We have so many great people who deliver the Sharp Experience daily, and I want to ensure they have the tools and resources to be successful far beyond my time here. Over the past few years, we've had a number of longtime leaders retire. Ensuring we name successors who live and breathe the Sharp Experience has been my first and foremost goal. As leaders before us, we are taking the opportunity to continuously improve the organization where it makes sense. We replaced our enterprise resource planning system with Workday; we are migrating our entire system (including our health plan) to Epic; and this past March, we opened the Sharp Prebys Innovation and Education Center. The SPIEC includes a state-of-the-art educational space; a 400-seat auditorium; clinical simulation labs; the Terrence and Barbara Castor Institute for Nursing Excellence; and Sharp Ventures, our newly created innovation division, where the people of Sharp will forge, foster and develop new solutions to some of healthcare's greatest challenges.
At the end of the day, however, it is supporting, developing and listening to the needs of our people that I take the greatest pride in. Ensuring the Sharp Experience is still a reality for our team members, our clinicians and the people we serve will always be my focus and what gives me the most professional joy on a daily basis.