As we approach the end of this chaotic year, I wanted to share a few thoughts that stand out to me from my coaching work with healthcare organizations and leaders. Let me begin with expressing my deep gratitude for your dedication and perseverance as you strive to find ways to carry on your mission of service in the face of daunting challenges and uncertainty.
I recently read an article I would describe as a scathing indictment of the healthcare industry for its failure to make healthcare more effective, affordable and patient centered. That characterization could not be further from what I see as I work with healthcare leaders and organizations across the country. What I observe are passionate, dedicated, talented people working under incredible pressure, doing their best to find ways to compensate for the fundamental flaws in the design of our country’s fragmented healthcare system.
As the place people turn when they experience illness or injury, you keep your doors and arms open to compassionately care for people without regard to their life circumstances, accepting the financial and operational challenges that come with that commitment. I am humbled by your selfless dedication and resilience.
It is a privilege for the MEDI coaching team to play a small part to support you in your efforts. As you continue forward in this noble work, I want to offer a few thoughts for you to consider as you round out 2025 and look ahead to 2026:
- Take time to reflect on your successes over the past year. Build a personal and team habit to periodically take a step back to celebrate your progress. As you reflect on the challenges you have faced and the progress you have achieved, it will help replenish your energy and shore up your confidence for the challenges which lie ahead.
- Be realistic about the capacity of you and your team. As hard as it is, and I know it is very hard, avoid taking on too many priorities at the same time. When the workload is chronically greater than the capacity it will diminish the effectiveness with which your team does anything. Revisit the question of priorities periodically and course correct as needed in order to maintain a sustainable balance between capacity and demand and enhance your probability of success.
- Be mindful of the tradeoff of urgency with effective change leadership. Many organizations have an understandable need to move urgently when one or more of their key performance metrics is not at an acceptable level. There is a temptation under stress, particularly financial stress, to revert to the use of directive authority in the belief that the organization doesn’t have time to engage stakeholders in decisions which depend upon those stakeholders for success. Recognize the difference between moving “thoughtfully fast” and “frantically fast.” Discern the most expeditious path by which to gain an understanding of an issue and address what is at stake for those whose support is key to success. Intensify communication to help cultivate an understanding of the need for urgency and the steps taken to, despite the urgency, make a thoughtful decision. And weigh the risk of a bad decision, weighing the rework and cultural harm that may occur if the process is not more deliberate.
- Recognize the inherent complexity and unpredictability of the environment. Let go of the notion that with enough time, effort and study you can arrive at the “right” answer. The factors which impact your success will continue to evolve in unpredictable ways. Establish a rhythm of periodic opportunities to step back and reassess. Cultivate organizational agility, quickly adapting when circumstances shift and things turn out differently than what you thought you knew. Become comfortable with learning from “failure” as part of the ongoing reality of leading in complexity.
- Consciously manage interdependence. Virtually everything done in healthcare organizations is the product of multiple functions coming together to advance a shared goal that can only be accomplished by them together. Avoid the mistake of assuming that the work of setting direction is done when you have identified key initiatives and declared an “owner.” Become proficient at “teaming,” the process by which you organize resources around key bodies of work and build the culture and skills needed to manage the intersection of those functions.
- Invest in building and nurturing personal connection. In complicated organizational settings and interdependent work on complex issues, the most important ingredient for success is trust. Building that trust begins by establishing personal connection, a willingness to be vulnerable enough that others have a sense of your personal purpose and your values. You will inevitably hold different, good faith opinions about the best path forward to resolve complex issues. The criteria for good decisions when there is not natural consensus is a shared belief that all parties acted in good faith in support of their shared goal.
- Be mindful of the importance of communication and “presence” in times of uncertainty and change. There is a temptation to be less visible or communicative when you are facing problems for which there is no apparent answer. That inclination, however, leaves a void and invites others to make up their own story. And those stories rarely, if ever, give the benefit of the doubt. Trust that your team members understand that there are no easy answers. What they need is to know you understand their concerns, that you care, and that you are doing all you can to find a way forward. In the face of uncertainty, what sustains people is trust in their leaders and the values that guide them in finding solutions. It is up to you to rob them of their story and help them see your genuine concern and diligent efforts.
- Become increasingly aware of signs that you have been “triggered.” In stressful, high stakes situations it is easy to get emotionally “triggered” and respond in ways that are counterproductive and damage trust. The more aware you are of when you are approaching those moments, the better your chance of interrupting the cycle and taking steps to get yourself back to center so you can manage through the situation in a more thoughtful, intentional way.
- Use the holiday as a time to prioritize self-care. Use it as a launching pad for building an ongoing habit of self-care. The evidence is overwhelming that as leaders get emotionally and physically depleted they work less efficiently and effectively. You owe it to yourself, and the organization, to invest in your well-being so you can lead at your very best.
As we say goodbye to 2025, the team at MEDI would like to express our deep gratitude and admiration for the amazing clients with whom we are privileged to work. May your holidays be filled with warmth, happiness and peace.
