8 extraordinary things that healthcare presidents do: As reported by others in the organization

It all started on a phone call with nursing leader, Anita Walden. Anita is the Chief Nursing Officer at Decatur Morgan Hospital in Decatur, AL. We were talking about best practices related to employee engagement and she shared a story with me about the president of the hospital, Nat Richardson. I was amazed!

When anyone enters the hospital he or she receives a postcard with the president's picture and cell phone number. As Anita was telling me about this card, I automatically assumed that they had an assistant answering the phone and triaging the messages. I figured the president would then pass along the information to other senior leaders and make sure they were taken care of.

I was wrong (you'll read more about this extraordinary president in #7 below). This prompted me to reach out to my followers on social media and my newsletter subscribers to ask for stories of extraordinary things that healthcare presidents/CEOs do. I asked one simple question and promptly received 10 responses. I'm sharing some of them verbatim and for the last few I'll include the highlights. Of course, you don't have to be the president to try out these ieas. Any leader – in fact anyone – can try them on for size.

Let's define extraordinary

One thing I found particularly noteworthy is what folks describe as "extraordinary". According to Merriam Webster, extraordinary means "going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary."

What I also find interesting is that the folks who took the time to respond my question have defined extraordinary according to their own beliefs and mindsets. What I quickly learned is that one person's "ordinary" often becomes another's "extraordinary." As you read the following eight ideas, you can judge for yourself.

1. Jars of jam. "Carole Holmes, CEO of inSite Senior Care, shared her love with us this past Christmas by using jam! She personally made a variety of little jars of jam from local fruit and sent them to all the residents and staff of each of inSite's seven facilities. Everyone enjoyed her gift and the thought behind it."
Shared by Angela Senneker, LPN, MA, Community Manager, Chateau Three Hills

2. Opening up the dialogue. "Our new President and CEO, Daniel Blum personally acknowledges and responds to patient letters. He has also expanded our previously exclusive Department Head only meeting to include all leaders and acknowledged at the first meeting that as this was something new, he welcomed feedback as he wanted it to be helpful to everyone . He welcomes feedback and dissenting opinions at senior staff meetings."
Shared by Phyllis Vonderheide, MS, RN, BC, Senior Director, Patient Experience, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center

3. The daily walk. In terms of great CEOs, I think it would be important to mention our CEO, Dr. John Chessare. Two years ago, we started Lean Daily Management whereby our entire executive team, under Dr. Chessare's leadership, rounds on 30 inpatient units every day. On weekends and holidays the walk is completed by the administrator on call. This has been a transformational initiative that couldn't have been accomplished without top-down leadership commitment. We have reduced patient harm and employee injuries as well as improved patient experience scores and reduced waste. In addition, we have found that it also provides a valuable opportunity for both the staff and the executive team to have a daily connection with the CEO.
Shared by Carolyn Candiello, VP for Quality and Patient Safety, Greater Baltimore Medical Center

4. Job shadowing. "Carol Turner, CEO of Atrium Medical Center, offered to spend 2 hours working with any employee who made the request. She spent upwards of 80 hours working all shifts and weekends with 40 people in a wide variety of job responsibilities. It was so successful that Carol is making the offer again!"
Shared by members of leadership team

5. The open-door policy. "The president of my organization, Jaimie Clayton, is extraordinary! Not only does she have an open door policy that all employees know about, she also learns every employee's name and pertinent info (babies, family situation etc). That's upwards of 160 employees! On top of that she holds quarterly 'Lunch with the CEO' in all four offices. During this time she provides transparent information about the budget; update on Board activities; updates on our sustainability program; information on important agency initiatives. All of this is discussed within the framework of our agency culture which includes an open Q&A time and discussion on engagement issues throughout the agency. She actively listens and provides follow-up information as needed. She is a terrific leader!"
Shared by Jeanne Miller, MA LLP, Director, Specialized Services for Youth, Oakland Family Services

6. He shows up. "The president of Baptist Health Louisville is someone who 'shows up' every day. When we do the Relay for Life, he shows up WITH HIS FAMILY and hangs out and eats with us. Whenever there is a fund-raising walk that has hospital involvement, he SHOWS UP. He is also a very 'plain-spoken' person who does not try to embellish anything. He tells it straight, with a great sense of humor. He comes across as a 'regular guy' with no pretension. Very refreshing. He just seems extremely approachable."
Shared by Peggy L. Petredis, Director of Finance, Baptist Health Louisville

7. Just call me. "When patients (inpatient or outpatient) arrive to the hospital, no matter at what point of orgin, they or a family member receive Nat's card. He answers the cell phone from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day. He does not have voice mail because he wants to speak personally with each person that takes the time to call him. He excuses himself from meetings to take the calls. He answers them at home in the evenings and weekends. And when he gets a call, he goes to see the person calling if he or she is in the building.

In the first 8-10 weeks there were 270 calls. Of these calls, 100 percent were answered by Mr. Richardson and only 6 were problems. The majority of the remaining calls were positive comments or folks who wanted to chat with the president."
Shared by Anita Walden, CNO, Decatur Morgan Hospital

8. The simple things (shared by team members at various organizations).
- "This is a small thing, but a larger company recently purchased us and the head of the division personally said to me, 'We need you!' to reassure me through the transition process."

- "Our CEO...is very humble and does things that he wouldn't want to be recognized for. He mentors young leaders like myself in a way that he doesn't demand but encourages to grow and develop. He sets a great example and will show up at different times on the units and talk with staff. He is good about getting to know them and he seems to know most people's name."

- "He picks up trash off the floor.... even if it's something small and almost insignificant. It always amazes me."

- "Several times per year our CEO works the midnight shift to do special meal feedings, on top of her regular dayshift schedule. I believe it is exceptional that a CEO pulls a 'double shift' so that she can be hands on with all employees."

So what do you think: Are these actions extraordinary or the new normal? When it comes to employee engagement, the area I spend my time focusing on, you can tell each of these activities is a "homerun" on the motivation scale since someone took the time to report it to me. That fact by itself is a powerful motivator for leaders everywhere to take a look at their own behaviors. What will you do today to earn the extraordinary designation? Please leave your comments about extraordinary leadership actions in the comments below.

Vicki Hess, RN, is your go-to resource for transforming employee engagement at the individual, department or organization-wide level. As the author of four books, keynote speaker, trainer and consultant; Vicki inspires her healthcare clients to take action in a real-world, relatable way. Organizations that implement Vicki's ideas experience increased engagement, productivity, safety, quality, retention, client satisfaction, creativity and more. For more information, click here

The views, opinions and positions expressed within these guest posts are those of the author alone and do not represent those of Becker's Hospital Review/Becker's Healthcare. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.

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