Hospital C-suite leaders have a lot of balls to juggle daily, but they should know that while they are keeping their eyes on their priority responsibilities, everyone else in the organization is looking to them for leadership. This is especially true in difficult times when employee frustration is high and access to high-quality healthcare workers is low.
In addition to "working on building relationships, being adaptable and listening to understand," Kimberly Scaccia, vice president of revenue cycle at Cincinnati-based Mercyhealth, told Becker's that leaders also have to focus on "motivating employees and peers and using decision-making and critical thinking in everything [they] do."
As such, hospital leaders are always on stage, in the spotlight. Regardless of their own burnout and feeling like they are drowning in administrative work and attending meeting after meeting, it's important to recognize that "staff members look to you for inspiration, motivation, innovation, compassion and so much more. If you think that is not your job, you are wrong," Ms. Scaccia said.
Ms. Scaccia said that every hospital C-suite leader has a responsibility to step up and be a role model and "it's up to each of them, as a leader, to create an employer/employee dynamic" that will keep good employees in their jobs.
She added: Leaders lead. "You signed up for this and it has to be part of everything you do," she added.