One key responsibility for leaders across industries is connecting their teams to the big "why" of their roles. Why is the organization essential to its customers? Why is the employee's role important? Why do we do what we do?
The big "why" in healthcare seems self-evident. Health systems can connect their purpose to serving patients and making their communities healthier. But especially during transformative times, it bears repeating. That's why Peggy Duggan, MD, executive vice president, chief physician executive and chief medical officer of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital, will lean into her big "why" and guide the rest of her team to do the same over the next six months.
"Healthcare has been through incredible changes over the past five years and our systems continue to evolve," she told Becker's. "The pressure to produce and remain economically viable has become a major focus and sometimes supplants the real purpose of our work. This purpose includes helping our newer staff, who trained at a time when connection to patients was limited due to pandemic restrictions, as well as supporting our senior staff, who have traversed a changing climate of care."
Dr. Duggan said one of the crucial questions her team asks is, "Can we all stop for a few minutes every day and remind ourselves of our mission?"
"We are uniquely qualified and positioned to care for our fellow humans," said Dr. Duggan. "If that does not give pause for thoughtful discussion, what would? Let's stop and think, 'What does my patient need today?'"
All team members, from the C-suite to the frontline workers and physicians, have a role in care delivery. Everyone is responsible for accuracy, quality and experience, said Dr. Duggan. She challenges the team to ask themselves what they are doing each week to improve the care of individual patients they encounter.
"No excuses. Stop and remind yourself why and then reflect that in everything you do," said Dr. Duggan.
Mark Gridley, president and CEO of FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport, Ill., has a similar focus. Mid-year, his team reflects on the first half of the year and course corrects on areas that aren't doing well. The team also digs into areas where they need to improve performance and adjust to meet annual goals.
"It is also a great time of year to encourage providers, leaders and staff to work on their resiliency and reconnect to their 'healthcare why' so that we can have the energy to finish the year well and be prepared to start the next year strong," said Mr. Gridley.
Aisha Ahmed, MD, vice president of population health and vice president and chief of neuroscience at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids and Southfield, Mich., is proactively planning for 2025, which means thinking innovatively about challenges such as staff shortages, burnout and increasing demand for access to care.
"A very important endeavor for the rest of the year is the commitment to team building and leadership development," said Dr. Ahmed. "Creating time, space and allocating resources for professional and leadership development helps us create change agents. These individuals from all levels of leadership, established and emerging, can explain the 'why' through systems thinking approach and their influence, formal or informal, thus impacting the promotion of the desired culture that supports the organization to continue to move forward."
Dr. Ahmed said the focus on "why" and leadership development is necessary for building competent teams and improving staff retention. Then the organization grows intentionally together with the same "problem-solving attitude."
Thank you to Mariah Muhammad of Becker's Healthcare, who contributed to the development of this article.
All leaders featured in this article will speak at the Becker's CEO+CFO Roundtable, Nov. 11-14 in Chicago. Learn more and register here.