Health & Medical
The right environment
How Fred M. DeGrandis creates a supportive workplace at the Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals
By Kristy J. O’Hara
Smart Business Akron/Canton | September 2009
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Fred DeGrandis, President and CEO, Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals
When Fred M. DeGrandis talks to his employees at the Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals about the best places they’ve ever worked, the answers aren’t what you might think.
“Quite frankly, never do they talk about facility, equipment and technology,” the president and CEO says. “They talk about who they worked with and how the people cared for them and they cared for each other and that they felt supported by those who they worked with. That’s the kind of environment that you want to create. You want to create the kind of environment that is, quite frankly, the best place to work.”
Creating the right kind of environment starts with the people you have in your organization.
“The foundation of innovation is about creating a team of people who work together, support each other and know that the depth of the support remains as they are proceeding through their journey of professional stewardship as well as achievement,” DeGrandis says.
The first step to getting great people is to know what you’re looking for. At the Cleveland Clinic, he needs people who will ultimately work well with others.
“You set ground rules to start with,” he says. “You set the standard that that’s the first requirement of recruitment.”
With the notoriety that the Cleveland Clinic has, attracting top professionals isn’t usually an issue, but trying to figure out if those people can work well with others is another issue altogether. To find people who are going to work well with others and support each other, ask them about their past experiences to get to the heart of what’s important to them.
“You talk to them about places that they have worked that they considered really good and why it was really good,” he says. “You ask them about their own experiences, and in some ways, it’s not that easy to tell. If it were, this would be something that would happen all the time. It takes time. Ask a lot of questions about what motivates them.”
For instance, in the health care field, he may ask them why they went into health care and why they would choose to take all their skills and talents and use them in that particular field.
“Many times, you can gain a lot of insight into a candidate’s ability to work on a team and their motivation as to why they’re in the particular profession that we are,” DeGrandis says. “It’s a helpful question in asking and having people understanding somebody as to what motivates them and what their passion is and how they’ll play as a member of a team.”
With the right people in place, you then have to support and foster their growth.
“The most important way to drive innovation and performance is to create an environment of support and collegiality between the players that are on your team,” he says. “By doing so, you foster an environment that supports risk-taking and provides the opportunity for innovation in terms of ideas, programs and services.”
DeGrandis recognizes that in order to serve the patients the best, his employees have to be happy in their positions.
“Understand that the first customer that you have is the person who sits next to you and works with you,” he says.
The motto throughout the hospital system is that they always put patients first, but the only way his people can do that is if they help and service each other first.
“In any endeavor, professional or otherwise, it’s accomplished by a team, so understanding and supporting each other creates an environment that a team can work in and excel in,” DeGrandis says.
To put together an environment like that, you have to do some soul-searching yourself.
“As yourself, are you working in the best place that you’ve ever worked yourself?” he says. “If not, take steps to make it that way.”
Begin to examine why the organization isn’t the best for you and why it may not be for employees, as well.
“Then begin to consciously and deliberately address the causes of why the organization or the moment or the department is not,” he says. “I think it’s a good question to ask all of the time, whether you’re coming into an organization or operating within the organization. It gives you a whole lot of insight as to what it is you as a leader need to encourage, to foster, to support and certainly to change.”
How to reach: Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals, www.clevelandclinic.org
