Since becoming executive vice president and COO of Dover, Del.-based Bayhealth in January, Kyle Benoit found there is a fine line leaders must walk when joining a new organization.
“You don’t want to wait too long to start laying out your vision for where you want to see things go, but you also don’t want to be too quick before people really get to understand you,” Mr. Benoit told Becker’s.
That understanding has shaped his priorities as he establishes trust in his new position.
“I am a relationship-based leader,” Mr. Benoit said. “You’ve got to take the time to understand people, the culture, what’s working well and where the gaps are.”
His first few months have been spent rounding, having one-on-one conversations with leaders and medical staff, and learning about the “why” behind staff members’ roles. This insight has helped him formulate strategic plans with the leadership team, he said.
“What you can’t do is come in and assume that everything you’ve done in the past is going to work 100% in your new organization,” Mr. Benoit said. “You have to become ingrained in the culture to start working on your vision, strategy and the respective initiatives.”
Navigating growth and expansion
Mr. Benoit has prioritized maintaining Bayhealth’s momentum, executing existing goals and preparing for the upcoming fiscal year since joining the organization mid-fiscal year. His balanced approach has been especially important as the health system works toward its decade-long master facility plan.
Bayhealth is expected to undertake expansions at its hospital campuses and outpatient centers in the upcoming fiscal year, pending board approval. The concept involves constructing a new patient tower at Bayhealth’s Kent Campus in Dover, a physician office building at Bayhealth’s Sussex Campus in Milford and new ambulatory locations to the north and south of its current footprint.
Workforce challenges and solutions
Among the industrywide concerns Mr. Benoit is addressing, staff shortages remain a primary priority.
“Healthcare is going to continue to be challenged with having enough skilled medical professionals to meet the growing demands of patients,” he said. “An aging and rising population requires access to care. Insufficient availability of physicians, advanced practice providers, registered nurses, physical therapists, etc., could hinder access and affect service quality.”
Bayhealth aspires to be a destination employer, where people want to spend their whole careers. He praised Bayhealth’s human resources team for simplifying recruitment and ensuring competitive compensation. The system also established solid medical career pipelines, such as residency programs, that will continue to expand.
However, retention is even more critical, he said.
“How do you create that environment people never even want to consider leaving?” he said. “You can do that through focusing on leadership development, purposeful rounding, engagement and constant communication.”
He added that one of the most common problems in enterprises is communication. Effective communication requires a variety of techniques, including in-person, email and video, as each individual processes information differently. This is also critical for leaders transitioning into new positions.
“If you can take this time to be actively rounding and effectively communicating, you can start building that level of engagement and culture that people really want to be a part of,” he said.
