In the 2020s, Hospital Leaders Will Need to Embrace These Priorities
To effectively lead, hospital leaders have to be adept at responding to change, making decisions amid ambiguity, and supporting teams under constant pressure to upgrade their skills on the job.
As we move into the 2020s, staying focused on three key priorities can help hospital leaders and their employees thrive.
Purpose
One 2018 study found that 90% of employees were willing to make less money to engage in more meaningful work. Similarly, a recent EY study, based on a survey of 474 executives, found that 89% agree that purpose is strongly correlated with employee satisfaction. The same study concluded that purpose also can enhance strategy and decision making.
As a hospital leader, you no doubt already have a clear sense of purpose. But how do you ensure that everyone in your organization stays connected to this purpose amid changing healthcare policies and constraints? While medical personnel may share your purpose, do all the people working in your hospital or system, including facilities and security staff, understand how their own work contributes to this purpose?
Ensure all your employees are reminded of your shared purpose on a regular basis. To begin, take time out to express gratitude to all your team members for the contributions they are making to advance this purpose.
Development Opportunities
Employees crave development opportunities. In sectors such as healthcare, depending on one’s role, employees may have no choice but to constantly upgrade their skills. While staying abreast of the latest innovations, technologies, and treatments is critical, it is important to avoid simply offering your team members opportunities to keep their existing skill sets relevant. Many employees want to do more than stay up-to-date. They also want to grow – that is, acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to assume greater responsibility on the job. Such opportunities may include leadership training and personal coaching.
Recognizing that people are happiest when they are able to truly stretch on the job, take a long, hard look at your team. Who is ready for a new challenge? Who has leadership potential? If you don’t know, start talking to your team members. You might be surprised who expresses interest in stepping up. Next, create the conditions needed to support their ascents. Make growing one’s peers a core part of your organizational purpose.
Mental Health
We know that an estimated one in five adults have a mental health disorder. We also know that mental health disorders come at a very high cost to organizations; by one estimate, mental health issues will cost $16.3 trillion in lost economic output between 2011 and 2030. And, like it or not, healthcare professionals aren’t immune to mental health challenges.
One 2018 Brazilian study published in BMC Cancer surveyed 227 oncologists. Of the 227 physicians surveyed, 70.5% responded and 132 (58.1%) were identified as having burnout. Another 28 (12.3%) reported experiencing depression, and 44 (19.4%) reported experiencing anxiety. A 2019 study of orthopedic surgeons found even more troubling results. Noting that “all age groups, all types of practices and all countries are impacted,” the study found that the mean suicide rate among surgeons (13.3%) is double that of the general population. The study further concluded, “The primary risk factors are physical and emotional overload, growing bureaucracy, the burden of malpractice lawsuits and regulatory bodies.” Other studies have found high levels of burnout among nurses and other hospital system staff.
Mitigating mental health issues among healthcare workers is something that will require an all-hands-on-deck approach. In such a high-stakes sector, the cost of ignoring mental health in the workplace is something no one can afford to ignore. What’s also clear is that healthcare leaders have a role to play. By speaking out, leaders can send a powerful message to employees that they aren’t alone and that it is okay to come forward to ask for support. Indeed, destigmatizing mental health is an important first step.
As hospital leaders enter the 2020s, there is no question that they will continue to face challenges on the job. Hospitals operate in a complex, ever-changing, and often politically fraught sector. Staying laser focused on purpose, development opportunities, and wellness can help leaders steer a steady course ahead.
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Camille Preston
Dr. Camille Preston is a business psychologist and the founder and CEO of AIM Leadership--an executive coaching firm that works with leaders, teams, and organizations.Preston has helped hundreds of leaders navigate the challenges of today's disrupted workplace. She also shares her expertise by serving as a board member and strategic partner at non-profits in her home base of Cambridge, MA. To hire Shari for one of your events or for additional information please contact Sandra St. Onge.