Leadership: “Hope is not a method”

1. Leadership:“Hope is not a method” Joseph G. Keary, MS, MBA jgk leadership consulting Member, Kansas City Chapter, CLMA

2. Introduction • General Gordon R. Sullivan is a former Chief of Staff of the Army • Involved in the earliest strategies of Army Transformation back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s • He began the journey from the bureaucratic “Cold War” Army, which paralleled the business model prevalent at the time – large, inflexible organization

3. Introduction • This journey has culminated in today’s “transformational” Army • Gone are rigid, large Divisions which need to deploy together • Now we have Brigade “Units of Action”, which are modular and carry intrinsic capabilities • What does this have to do with Leadership, and specifically, Leadership in the profession of clinical lab science?

4. Your Laboratory • You are the “Units of Action” • As an integral part of your organization, you have “proponency” – another term for “ownership” • You are the proponent for: • Organizational growth and development • Personal growth and engagement

5. Your Laboratory • Section/Department heads are the “front-line” leaders for the organization • You are role models and “centers of influence” in the health care community • You motivate and develop your lab into a dynamic and vibrant organization

6. The Paradox of Action

7. The Paradox of Action • This refers to the fact that working harder and harder to do what you do better and better will NOT lead to success! • Action without strategic direction merely drives an organization deeper into a hole

8. The Paradox of Action • There are three “leaderships traps” which follow from this paradox • Each of them is easy to fall victim to; in fact, in many cases we are “trained” to follow the pathway down to the trap

9. Leadership Traps • Doing things too well:

10. Leadership Traps • Doing things too well: • When you are doing well, you lose the vision and passion for change and fail to instill vision and passion in your staff • You run the risk of losing touch with your organization and your stakeholders (employees, customers and others) • You become overconfident, and like the story of the tortoise and the hare… you don’t see everyone pass you by!

11. Leadership Traps • Being in the “wrong business”:

12. Leadership Traps • Being in the “wrong business”: • More commonly seen in the business world, it has parallels in our profession • Implies waiting to see what develops, trading time for the prospect of more information and less uncertainty • May result from the desire to wait for more resources, or an aversion to loss • Is the laboratory seen as a “service” or a “partner”?

13. Leadership Traps • Making yesterday perfect:

14. Leadership Traps • Making yesterday perfect: • The inability to cope with external change • Changes are made, but always in terms of the “old” paradigm • Leaders who practice this are great “fixers”, but not innovators • Appears that things are moving forward, but it is not “transformational”

15. Leadership vs Management?

16. Leadership vsManagement • Management has to do with an organization’s processes: • The organization is controlled by dealing with the functional parts of the whole • i.e: Human Resources, Logistics, Nursing, Ancillary Services, MIS, etc • Leadership has to do with an organization’s purposes:

17. Leadership • Leadership and learning are the tools to develop a high performing organization • Goes beyond creating the future and managing complexity • Also involves team building and in influencing and directing the course of the organization through them

18. Leadership • Leadership has three dimensions: • Managing • Creating the future • Team Building • Leadership is acting on an interpersonal level with small groups or individuals

19. Leaders Reconnaissance • Leaders need to constantly assess and evaluate the following: • What is happening? • What is NOT happening? • What can I do to influence the action?

20. Leaders Reconnaissance • This trilogy captures the essence of strategic leadership • Knowing what IS happening in our organization is not enough

21. Leaders Reconnaissance • By focusing on what is NOT happening, we open our mind to broader opportunities and options • By asking how can I influence the action, we envision a greater range of responses than mere action and counteraction

22. The Leadership Action Cycle (LAC)

23. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process:

24. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process: • Observe: What is happening / not happening? • Be objective and make critical observations • Focus equally on what is NOT happening • Consider actions, morale, client feedback and other metrics • Don’t offer opinions at this stage – be a silent observer

25. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process:

26. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process: • Reflect: what can I do to influence the action and formulate options • Consider what you have seen and take time to see what YOUR role is in each action • Make sure you come up with several courses of action / options • Consider both easy and difficult solutions to come up with the OPTIMAL solution

27. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process:

28. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process: • Decide: a Leader leads… • identify tasks, roles and set constraints, limits and measurable standards • Use a systematic and standardized approach to evaluate COA’s • Weighted Decision Matrix is often a great tool

29. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process:

30. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process, • Act: organization executes the decisions of the leader. The leader demonstrates sponsorship and involvement to reinforce the need for change • Follows the principle that “A leader…leads” • Get involved in the following stages – • Information on the decision • Overall implementation strategy • Desired outcomes and metrics of success • Decentralize the execution as much as possible

31. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process:

32. Leadership Action Cycle • 5 step process, • Learn: Most important step; closes the loop by relating the outcomes of decision and action to future actions; modify behavior and actions as a result of what we NOW know • Restart the critical thinking and evaluation process • This should be a continuous process

33. Leadership Values

34. Values: the Leverage of Change • Leadership begins with VALUES! • Values are critical in that they: • Bind expectations • Provide alignment • Establish a foundation for transformation and growth • Leaders signal what will NOT change, providing an anchor and a context for decisions and actions

35. Organizational Values • Purpose: • We exist as a part of something bigger and better than the individual • We are all part of the Laboratory Profession • The Laboratory Profession has our own Values • We are enriched by being part of this profession and derive benefits from it

36. Organizational Values • Continuity: • History is a part of our profession. • Others in our profession have faced challenges and succeeded. • The past is a reflection of our collective identity • Traditions are important to morale

37. Organizational Values • People: • To value your organization, you must value the people who comprise it. • This shows in our policies but also in how we delegate and share responsibilities • It also shows in viewing our fellow peofessionalsas a “renewable resource” to be developed and cultivated

38. Organizational Values • Responsibility: • Many leaders want to TAKE responsibility for all actions/inactions • Most effective leaders INVEST responsibility in their subordinates • True empowerment which is not merely freedom to do your job, but also to help define it • Empowerment is about responsibility

39. Organizational Values • Integrity: • Not merely “honesty” • A broader, strong pattern of internal consistency • Commitment to consistently “doing the right thing” for the right reason and for the long run, despite short term pressures of temptations

40. The Six Imperatives

41. The Six Imperatives • The Six Imperatives were the Army’s first plan for transformation • Quality People • Leader Development • Training • Modern Equipment • Force Mix • Doctrine

42. The Six Imperatives • Pictured as a six pointed star, with a hexagon (signifying change) in the center • The “hexagon” reflected a trained and ready force • Same can be said about OUR organizations

43. The Six Imperatives PEOPLE TRAINING EQUIPMENT CHANGE AND EXCELLENCE REGULATIONS STAFF MIX LEADERS

44. The Six Imperatives All of these are critical to our success All deserve our attention, but to varying degrees We need to consider the effect of change on each of the imperatives We also need to consider our role in optimizing our role in each of the imperatives

45. People • Who do we work with? • Their strengths and weaknesses • Their motivators and distractors • Their culture • Their ethics (especially work ethic) • How are they engaged in our mission?

46. Equipment • The rapid innovations in technology • Point of care testing • High throughput analyzers and consolidation of services • The cost of technology • Direct costs (equipment, reagents, supplies and service) • Indirect costs (training, burnout, etc)

47. Regulations • The “alphabet soup” of regulatory agencies • CAP, AABB, FDA, TJC, CLIA, CMS etc • The need to specialize in regulatory affairs in order to effectively and legally operate in this environment

48. Training Education needed to enter the profession Continuing professional education New equipment/technology education Leadership and management education Self- development education

49. Staff Mix • Differences between • Ages • Cultures • Genders • Training (MLT v MT) • Optimizing the mix of staff to harmonize operations at a cost efficient level

50. Leaders Every employee a “leader” Leadership training for all staff Professional development training for the formal leadership team Developing a culture of engaged leaders Avoiding the “impeder-leader”, “toxic leaders” and other dysfunctional types