Jim Collins in his book Good to Great talks about getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus. Following this advice, how should a board and CEO work together to build a strong board? CEOs and Board Members need to be collaborative in dealing with increasing complexities of healthcare management. Having the correct Boards members could make the difference between a well run managed successful healthcare institution and one that fails. There are many components needed to have to the correct board members. As noted in our book having the correct people on the board is necessary, however the process is more complicated than just selecting those people are felt be “good fits” to be member of a board of directors. Considerable
time is necessary for building a board. Our text refers to the analogy of a crossword puzzle. The correct member is need in to the correct position. The board members fulfill different role in their capacity and functions on different committee positions. Having people with correct experience and passion for their specific area is important from a functional standpoint for success of the board and an institution. Another aspect is having members who have passion, for the mission of the institution. Without passion there is missed opportunity cost and while a person may have filled the board position, there could have be another person who would been a better fit. Another person in the board position may have been more valuable and better contributor to goal of the organization. Cultivating new board members is an ongoing process and as a CEO an ongoing portion of the CEO’s job. The CEO as he networks through the community needs look for and keep in mind candidates who are community leaders, who may have interest in board positions. Additionally, the candidates need to have a passion for the institution and have pre-request skills that would make them and the institution successful. The CEO should also through his contacts communicate the goals and needs of the institution and this too assist in identifying potential candidates. The CEO, in addition to having the “correct people on the bus” needs to assist the wrong people off the bus. Because these are members of the community this needs to be done with grace and decorum. The worst thing a CEO can do is create enemies among different community leaders, and if he does this may create problems with existing board members. The CEO needs to use the bus metaphor an ongoing process. He needs to “get the right people on the bus, get the right people in the right seats, get the wrong people off the bus, develop people into bigger seats, plan for succession, etc. Develop a disciplined, systematic process for getting the right people on the bus. With each passing year, ensure the percentage of people decisions that turn out good versus bad continues to rise.” Finally, I would like comment to from a personal experience. I served for several terms on hospital board as a director. While many may think this is an honorary position in fact it carries with it a significant responsibility. As a non-profit institution there is a fiduciary obligation to the community. Decisions are made in the community interest. Some are very difficult, and some may be contentious. One decisions are painful. The most important thing I feel that a board member needs is commitment and passion. The board needs to be collaborative with the CEO and the managers and not contentious. Having the correct people in the correct positions is the key to a successful institution.
In Jim Collins book Good to Great, we explore the notion of being rigorous, not ruthless. “To be ruthless means hacking and cutting, especially in difficult times, or wantonly firing people without any thoughtful consideration.” (GTG, p. 52) In stark contrast, rigorous companies are no walk in the park, but the difference between the two styles is night and day. Rigorous companies adopt a top down approach when it comes to hiring management. There is an old saying that says a “fish rots from the head down.” This is analogous to a business hiring the wrong leadership and the business failing as a result of the poor hiring decisions in leadership. I think that successful companies, especially moving forward will
While reading the fiction book, Good Kings Bad Kings I realized that there was a strong connection between what actually happened back in history to those with mental and physical disabilities. Even though the book was wrote to entertain, it also had me thinking about history. For example, while reading through the book I would relate back to some of the readings we read in class. These readings were “An Institutional History of Disability” and "Disability and Justification of Inequality in American History". Some of the key things that, also, stood out to me were the way the youth were treated, how workers were treated, how ableism was presented, and why people were put in these facilities.
WellStar Health Systems is currently the preeminent and largest health care provider in Metro Atlanta. WellStar Health Systems is a not-for-profit institution that is composed of 5 hospitals and an abundance of physician groups. Physician specialty groups included within WellStar are: ENT, Psychiatry, Endocrinology, Pulmonary Medicine, Infectious Disease, General Surgery, Rehabilitation, Pathology, and Rheumatology. WellStar’s organizational design is composed of internal and external factors that define the organization’s size, organizational structure, and processes. Internal and external factors are the basis for influencing managerial conclusions in decision-making. These factors vary from organization to organization and are the rationale for understanding WellStar’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Understanding these variables is a necessity for the sake of WellStar’s survival
Fussell believes that the soldier of world war two, "suffers so deeply from contempt and damage to his selfhood, from absurdity and boredom and chickenshit, that some anodyne is necessary", and that the anodyne of choice was alcohol. I would argue that Fussell is correct, especially regarding the connection between the absurdity of the war and the associated damage to soldiers image of themselves as good and patriotic, and the use of alcohol to block out the reality of the war. I think this connection is evident in the interviews presented in Terkel’s "The Good War", especially those of John Garcia and Eddie Costello.
A true war story blurs the line between fact and fiction, where it is neither true nor false at the same time. What is true and what is not depends on how much you believe it to be. In the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story” from the novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, the author provides various definitions to how the validity of a war story can be judged. The entire chapter is a collection of definitions that describe the various truths to what a true war story is. Unlike O’Brien, who is a novelist and storyteller, David Finkel, the author of “The Good Soldiers”, is a journalist whose job is to report the facts. Yet in the selection that we read, chapter nine, Finkel uses the convention of storytelling, which relies heavily on the stories the combat troops tell each other or him personally. Finkel attempts to give an unbiased view of the Iraq war through the stories of the soldiers but in doing so, Finkel forfeits the use of his own experiences and his own opinions. From O’Brien’s views on what a true war story is combined with my own definitions, I believe that Finkel provides a certain truth to his war stories but not the entire truth.
A Few Keys to All Success by Jim Muncy, published in 2002 explains that there are 7 universal keys to success that we can relate to everyday life. Discernment, Optimism, Responsibility, Initiative, Perseverance, Purpose, Sacrifice. Each one represents how we grow and teaches us how to have a high quality of life. From reading this book I am confident because I know being normal means being average and what we do can change how we act significantly. Also we can’t let the world hold us back from greatness. There will be negativity, there will be those who lack enthusiasm but you can’t let them interfere in what you have in store. And these keys will help you get to that point in your life. Discernment; Judge the seed by the harvest. The first
David Foster Wallace’s “Good People,” is a very touching, powerful story about a young, unwed, Christian couple facing an extremely difficult decision and the moral and religious implications that may result. As the story begins, we are allowed into the head of Lane Dean, a college student, as he sits on a park bench with his girlfriend, Sheri. Lane and Sheri find themselves faced with an unplanned pregnancy, which causes them to battle with several moral and religious dilemmas. Both of them are devout Christians who have built their moral beliefs upon God and their religious upbringing. Although torn Sheri schedules an abortion, which weighs on Lane deeply. Lane, frozen in fear and not having the courage to freely talk to Sheri about the situation, has a conversation with her in his own head which leads him to question love, morals, religion and life. As they face this unwanted pregnancy, Lane, controlled by fear realizes that sometimes in life certain situations are too complicated to solely be answered within the rigidity of religion. People are human and regardless of how strong their faith in religion is, the battle between right and wrong will forever exist. Ultimately, Sheri decides to carry the child, which Lane assumes is a statement of Sheri’s faith in him. Inspired by her leap of faith, Lane decides to break free from the fear, muster up some courage and ultimately makes a leap of faith of his own and decides to give loving her a try. Lane’s epiphany leads to the central idea that sometimes it takes breaking the confines of fear and having faith in love or in another person to win the battle between right and wrong, which Wallace conveys beautifully.
This book is a study of the personal tales of many single mothers, with intentions to understand why single mothers from poor urban neighborhoods are increasingly having children out of wedlock at a young age and without promise of marrying their fathers. The authors chose to research their study in Philadelphia’s eight most devastated neighborhoods, where oppression and danger are high and substantial job opportunities are rare. They provide an excellent education against the myth that poor young urban women are having children due to a lack of education on birth control or because they intend to work the welfare system. Instead, having children is their best and perhaps only means of obtaining the purpose, validation and companionship that is otherwise difficult to find in the areas in which they live. For many of them, their child is the biggest promise they have to a better future. They also believe that though their life may not have been what they want, they want their child to have more and better opportunities and make it their life’s work to provide that.
Unfortunately, businesses allow barriers to be their excuse in not formalizing a succession planning. As a result, firms will produce an informal process for short-term purposes and forgot to come up with solutions for long-term problems. Overall, succession planning must involve the very top, the board of directors, and have human resources (HR) aid in advancing tomorrow’s leaders for today’s roles.
Fenner, K. (2011, April 18). Accreditation: A hospital CEO’s strategic choice. Hospital Accreditation and Compliance Journal. Retrieved from http://www.compass-clinical.com/hospital-accreditation/2011/04/accreditation-a-hospital-ceos-strategic-choice/
Why now? Why are we focusing on transformational leadership? Healthcare costs are continuing to rise. Some of the critical problems and active debates prevalent in many hospital organizations include the rapidly intensifying healthcare costs, funding and reimbursement cutbacks, and concern regarding the overall quality and safety of health care. “Healthcare systems have come under pressure to improve performance and manage productivity” (Botting, 2011). To be successful in the 21st century, there is a demand on healthcare systems to have a vision and executive and clinical leadership to inspire the change process and make the difference between success and failure in change.
According to McConell (2012), the difference in a leader and a follower determines the success of a person regarding leadership. This chapter helps explain the content of qualities and proficiency for healthcare managers to be effective. Once again, effective management skills or certain qualifications enhance a healthcare organization environment. Healthcare managers and supervisors must have the capacity to handle challenges while the organization objectives and regulations may change over a period of time. Effective healthcare management governs the success of a healthcare organization. There are many different skill sets and leadership styles to be effective as a manager. People are interested in knowing what strategies are effective in healthcare management.
The Board of Directors is consisted of 11 members: James M. Elliot, the Chairman of the Board, 3 inside members and 7 outside members. The economy is stable and profitable, but that also means a lot of competition in the market. This poses a great opportunity for the company to grow and gain more of the market share. The only foreseeable real threat that the company will face is new competitors in the market.
The complexity of the health care system provides a unique dilemma for leaders. Health care systems are multi-dimensional; composed of numerous specialties, professional areas, and multidisciplinary interests who often have conflicting goals. Great leadership needs to capitalize on the diversity within health care organizations, efficiently utilize resources when designing management processes, and encourage personnel in diverse health areas to work towards common goals (AL-Sawai, 2013). A number of leadership approaches can be adapted to the healthcare setting to optimize management in this unique and complex environment.
In 2014, JB Hi-Fi announced the retirement of their CEO Terry Smart. He had been with the company for more than 14 years. In an interview with Smart Company, Smart explained the process for hiring his successor. Smart (2014) stated that succession planning is not something that can be done overnight, it’s a long-term process and it’s part of the board’s role. When JB Hi-Fi promoted Richard Murray to CEO it was because of his extensive experience, knowledge, skills and contribution to the organisation over 11 years (Keating 2014). This example of JB Hi-Fi’s succession planning not only demonstrates their diligence in following their charter but also the emphasis placed on laying the right