1. Learn “how it was” under the former CEO. As a new CEO, Dr. Gutbezahl says it’s critical to understand how processes are maintained and changed within the hospital. “The challenge for the new CEO is to learn about the hospital as it was under the former CEO,” he says. “Since the CEO usually dominates the culture and priorities of the organization, the new CEO should focus on learning about the departing CEO’s view of the organization, its culture and its people.” Take time to listen to the CEO’s point of view on organizational successes and failures. Ask about the leadership team, as individuals and as a team. Ask about medical staff leadership and who influences medical staff opinions. Ask about how the board functions.
By determining the major players in the hospital, you will be ready to approach hospital leaders for support and feedback when you consider new projects. And don’t just stop with existing leaders: Make sure to understand the talent pipeline so you know where your future department heads, board members and administrators might come from. “All this data should be integrated into a framework for understanding how things have been done,” Dr. Gutbezahl says.
2. Gather data firsthand. Once you’ve talked to the former CEO about the hospital’s processes and players, go out into the hospital community to back that information up. “See whether the ‘filtered’ observations match [what you observe in the community],” Dr. Gutbezahl says. “Walk around. Schedule meetings with key players. Ask many of the same questions.” Once you have a sense of how the hospital’s medical and administrative staff feel about hospital processes and the former CEO’s leadership, you will begin to get an idea of how the hospital ran under the old CEO. Keep in mind that you won’t see the full picture if you don’t consult hospital staff: While your predecessor will be an invaluable resource, you need to get a ground-level perspective on hospital operations to catch any executive blind spots.
Gathering this data will also give you the chance to reach out to hospital staff and start to become a part of the community. If you establish a connection with staff early on, you will find it easier to solicit feedback and involve department leaders in projects. Make yourself known as a CEO who values employee opinion.
3. Seek out negative opinions as well as positive. When you talk to hospital staff, they may be hesitant to share negative opinions because they fear the repercussions of honesty. Be clear that you want to know everything about hospital operations — the good and the bad — so you can work towards fixing problems. If the former CEO is leaving on bad terms but is still in the hospital, “it is important to learn their point of view,” Dr. Gutbezahl says. “This is important data. The former CEO has internal friends who will see things as their leader did. They may also provide a unique perspective that reflects facts and observations that others may not know.”
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