A roughly 30-second clip of a hospital CEO on “The Pitt” left Dennis Murphy, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health, with two key takeaways on what leaders should avoid.
During the medical drama’s second season, hospital CEO Trent Norris enters the emergency department to inform staff of a cyberattack and subsequent systems shutdown, Mr. Murphy wrote in an April 9 LinkedIn post.
For one, the CEO addresses the attending physician as, “Hey, Rockstar!”
Mr. Murphy said he is conscious in any clinical setting to call people by their profession title as a sign of respect.
“But also, I’ve learned employees and patients alike watch how the CEO acts. Like it or not, people look to leaders to see how they treat others and how they acknowledge their skills,” Mr. Murphy said. “Is Dr. Robinavitch a rockstar? Sure. But more importantly, he’s an expert physician and leader of an incredibly high-stakes department.”
Further, in a situation like a cyberattack, a hospital CEO would not make department-by-department announcements, he said.
“In every crisis, the single most important thing is to communicate well. Imagine the huge information gaps Mr. Norris is creating with this method,” Mr. Murphy said. “Successful organizations need plans in case of emergencies, and those plans need to include how to cascade essential information quickly across all departments.”
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