Silence can be deployed as an effective bargaining tool or a way to bond with others, although it is not always easy.
For some healthcare leaders, silence is the key to ensuring team members’ thoughts are heard.
Bob Anderson, central region CEO of Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare, told Becker’s that by listening more often than speaking he fostered trust throughout his team.
“I learned early on that as you move up in leadership, what you say takes on more and more importance and weight," Mr. Anderson said. "If you speak out too often or too much, you're not going to get the input that you really want to have from everyone in order to make the best decision possible."
Listening to stakeholders — such as medical staff, community members and executive leadership — was key in Ron Werft's succession planning. He will retire as CEO of Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Cottage Health in 2025, and sought input from those stakeholders to understand what the system needs in its next leader.
For new CEOs, listening is often a key factor in the transition. This was one of Lisa Lovelace's main priorities in her first 100 days as CEO of Cleveland, Tenn.-based Vitruvian Health-Bradley Medical Center.
"Building those relationships is such an important part of the administrator's relationship to the community and other stakeholders," Ms. Lovelace previously told Becker's.
Active listening can also be beneficial in collaborating with other organizations in partnerships. This is what Julie Freischlag, MD, CEO of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, told Becker’s in reference to partnering with Atrium Health and later with Advocate Health.
"Give people an opportunity to tell you where they come from, because most everyone comes to healthcare systems to do good, to take care of patients, teach the next generation and discover, so listening is really important,” Dr. Freischlag said.