The pull of a great leader is strong.
In the recruiting world, we often see situations where an executive takes a new job in order to work under a dynamic CEO, CFO, CIO or other leader. It is natural to seek out career-shaping mentors and role models.
A word of advice for anyone who would change jobs to align with a dynamic leader, however: there are no guarantees that this person will stay in his or her position and provide the one-on-one support and career development you are looking for. After all, turnover among healthcare executives remains at all-time highs. According to ACHE, nearly one-fifth of hospital CEOs leave their posts each year, for example. Over a several year stretch, there is a good chance that a given executive will move on.
I can think of several examples (I won't name names) in which a high-profile healthcare executive left his or her position abruptly, surprising direct reports. In other situations organizational realignment shuffles the executive reporting structure, separating colleagues who previously worked closely together.
Because of cases like these, recruiters, hiring managers, and search committees are becoming increasingly wary of job candidates who cite specific leaders as a reason they want to join an organization. With consolidation rampant in the industry – and change a constant – executive teams are in flux and organizations understand that they must hire professionals and executives who align with culture and long-term strategy rather than getting along with current staff and leaders. Put another way, they are hiring executives more for tomorrow than today.
CEOs: Hiring for Legacy
CEOs understand this recruiting dynamic as well, too. Their roles are changing dramatically. (For more see "Hospital C-Suites: Leading Disruptive Change," a report which I coauthored with Carol Geffner, PhD, based on interviews with sitting CEOs.) In their hearts, they know that executive tenures today are tenuous, and that they could be out of a job if they don't perform as expected or if a merger or acquisition takes place. As a result, many of the CEOs I talk to are recruiting for their legacies as opposed to assembling a team of like-minded people around them. They are eyeing individuals who fit their organizations' long-term strategic needs and, in many cases, think and act differently than they do. Future CEOs may be judged more by who they have hired than who they have groomed.
Human Resources executives and hiring managers are thinking similarly. They are on the lookout for individuals who appreciate the organization's mission and long-term goals. They may be a little leery of candidates who interview and focus too much on individuals within the current leadership team rather than the organization and its future potential.
Interviewing Advice
For executives looking for a new job that involves working with well-known or dynamic leaders, allow me to offer some advice:
- Praise current leaders in moderation. In interviewing, it is certainly acceptable to acknowledge current leaders within the organization and compliment their work. Don't belabor your praise, however, and keep praise within the context of the organization, its achievements, and its future.
- Research the organization. Even in situations in which you are being brought in to work with one or a few specific people, know the organization and the culture you would be stepping into. Show that you know the hospital, system, or other entity, and emphasize how your skills and values are aligned with it.
- Focus on the big picture. A CEO or other hiring authority will be tuned in to your knowledge of industry trends and change, to see if you are someone who can help the organization not just at present but down the road as well. Do you see the big picture? More importantly, can you adapt your skills to the new landscape—organizations are orienting themselves to a new marketplace, and are looking to hire people who can change if needed.
- Think team. Talk about yourself as a team player and cite examples of how you've collaborated in the past with diverse colleagues, including those outside your immediate team or direct line of reporting (or even those outside your company). With so much restructuring taking place in today's health systems and networks, you will likely be met with a steady stream of new colleagues, realigned departments, committee requests, and so forth. Show that you can think "we" as well as "me"
It is admirable to want to work with great leaders, to learn under their tutelage and feed off their energy. When healthcare organizations hire, however, they want executives who fit their overall culture and are ready for an uncertain future.
Chris Corwin is a consultant in Witt/Kieffer's Healthcare practice. She has vast expertise in healthcare executive search, including placements of CEOs, COOs, CFOs and CHROs, as well as CMOs and other clinical leadership positions for provider and payer organizations. Chris has more than twenty years of healthcare industry experience, having served as a healthcare practitioner, consultant and business development expert. Chris began her career in peri-operative services and as a cardiac clinical nurse specialist—with stints at Barnes/Jewish, St. Louis University Hospital, Kaiser Permanente (Los Angeles), and UCLA Medical Center—before moving into strategic and operational roles.