Leadership and leadership development should be fluid, and for healthcare organizations, the development has to be a consistent and supported process to ensure top talent stays within the system.
Leadership development was the main topic of discussion during an April 11 panel at the Becker's Hospital Review 9th Annual Meeting, April 11 to April 14 in Chicago. Michael Clark, senior vice president and general manager of provider solutions with Nuance; Laura Swaney, vice president of women's and children's services at Irving, Texas-based Medical City Healthcare; and Cody Burch, an executive vice president at B.E. Smith shared their thoughts on leadership development and what organizations can do to support emerging leaders.
Here are three thoughts from the panel experts.
Editor's note: Quotes have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Laura Swaney: [Leadership development] starts with a vested interest in wanting to grow talent. I say that because not everybody wants to do that. I was at a point in my career where 137 people were reporting to me, and I was at a point in a different organization where I had two [people reporting to me]. … I think it's imperative to get right with the Lord and be honest with yourself, because if [leadership development is] not your area, that's ok.
Developing leaders is exhausting. It's a lot of work and it's not for everybody. I would say the first thing folks need to do is ask, 'Is that my skill set?' and if it isn't, you need to figure out who on your team has that skill set. Then outside of that it's making sure they've got all the tools available so they can meet your employee wherever they are to grow them to the next level.
Cody Burch: This is controversial but you should make public who your high potential people are. At minimum, I believe that individuals should know they're high potential. We did a survey that showed 33 percent of leaders believed they had to go someplace else outside of their organization in order to advance their career. Well if [a high potential individual] doesn't know they're high potential, and you consider them high potential, you need to tell them we consider you high potential and value you, because without that the retention value of a leadership development program is minimized. Making sure they know [they're high potential] and have the potential to advance their career is critical.
Michael Clark: [Keeping track of leadership development] is the trick. There are systems that can be put in place, but can systems really manage it? No. The managers manage it and the people manage it. [Development] has to be a part of the culture and it has to start at the top. If it isn't effective and it is just a process, it becomes a huge demotivator and a negative because the people who are really into it that don't get the benefit out from it either leave or they sit and see that as a weakness and a challenge. Whether [development programs] are run in human resources or outside of HR, I think we as managers, it is our obligation to change wherever it sits and [be a part of it]. I'm from a family of seven, and if you don't go get what you want, you won't get what you want.