On October 10th, Pamela will give a presentation on “Leading to Drive Change“ at Becker’s Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place October 9-12, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Pamela’s session, click here.
Question: What is the No. 1 principle you uphold and practice to effectively lead a team?
Pamela Elliott: My number one leadership principle is quite simple: CARING. I firmly believe that by genuinely caring about and taking care of my people, they will come to work every day determined to give their best. How do I demonstrate “caring” to my team? I encourage work-life balance — family always, always comes first! No job is worth sacrificing your family. I promote personal growth through coaching and I recommend books and classes relevant to the individual’s needs or interests. And I hold them accountable; I expect a high level of performance and I provide crucial feedback when they fall short. Feedback — when polite, respectful, and done from a place of love — is instrumental for growth. In return, my team does the same for me. They teach me something every day and they aren’t afraid to tell me when I fall short too. It’s a wonderful relationship when built around caring as the primary principle.
Q: What is one topic or issue you’ve been investing time in to better understand as of late?
PE: Lately, I’ve been thinking a great deal about the impact millenials, AI, and population health will have on the future of healthcare. I’ve also been doing some reading on “systemness” to better understand and appreciate how the multiple hospitals in my system can work cohesively, rather than competitively.
Q: What contributes to better conversations between a health system’s financial and clinical leaders?
PE: Financial and clinical leaders can have far better communication when respect, clarity, and candor lead the dialogue. Each “side” must respect and appreciate the expertise offered by the other. We must remember that each is tremendously impacted by the work of the other. We must ensure clarity; both fields have a “language” that is common to their work, but not commonly understood by others. And finally, both sides must be candid about their needs and limitations.
