Teach others to lead. You need
leaders throughout the organization. You need people who
take a leadership role in the
lobby, meeting and greeting
people, helping them with
their problems and issues if
they’re not sure where to go or
what to do. You need someone
to guide and direct them.
Everybody in the organization needs to be a leader.
Everybody in the organization
is responsible for the future success of the organization.
That’s why we involve them.
If an organization does well,
it’s going to be because of
people, not because of bricks
and mortar.
I go over that with the new
employees. I let them know
that when a patient comes in
here, when a doctor or visitor
comes in here, act like you are
the only person they’re going
to come in contact with, that
they’re going to judge the
whole organization based on
how you treat them.
No one goes and interviews
500 people to decide if this is a
good organization. They don’t
come to see me. It’s that person that sees them and handles them.
If they’re nice and take care of them, they’ll like the organization, and it will do well. The
people on the front end make
all the difference in the world.
Instilling that sense of ownership starts with the orientation,
where we tell them that we’re
going to listen to them and that
we’re concerned about them
and want them to have a future
here, and that they’re crucial to
the quality of care we can provide. People’s lives are in their
hands, even though they are
just one individual.
Then we try to keep them
involved in the decision-making, in the philosophies, so they
feel part of the organization.
Stay tuned to the future. I think
the major role of a CEO today
is to keep in mind that the
world is changing rapidly, and you have to change with it.
The success and future of your
organization determines
whether or not you put them
on a strategic plan or initiative
that is going to survive in that
environment as it changes, and
the way it’s going to change.
So you sit back and ask yourself what is going to happen …
within the next five years,
what it is going to do. Your
ability to predict that will likely determine how well you’re
going to do.
No one has a crystal ball, but
you try to predict what is
going to happen, what is liable
to happen and what is your
role going to be in it, how are
you going to position yourself.
If you are able to do that,
you’ll be in business.
HOW TO REACH: Ohio Valley General Hospital, (412) 777-6161 or www.ohiovalleyhospital.org
