CHICAGO--A Penn State University professor and veteran healthcare leader has identified eight characteristics in chief executive officers who succeeded in crisis situations.
Maureen Connelly Jones, PhD, presented the results of her study this month at the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Congress on Healthcare Leadership.
Connelly Jones conducted long, detailed interviews with three CEOs and also spoke with several of their subordinates. The CEOs all spoke at the conference. They were Jacquelyn Gaines, former CEO of Mercy Health Partners for Northeast Pennsylvania; Joseph Scott, CEO of Liberty Health/Jersey City Medical Center; and David Whitaker, CEO of Norman Regional Health System.
According to Connelly Jones, the eight common characteristics were:
- Let leaders lead
- Leverage resources
- Do what’s right
- Adapt to crisis situations
- Collaborate
- Build organizational talent
- Be visible to everyone in the organization
- Show strategic foresight
Scott discussed how he led his organization after Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey in October 2012. He said Jersey Center Medical Center never stopped seeing patients during Hurricane Sandy, but 120 employees lost their homes and many more suffered damage.
“Trust your staff to do the right thing,” Scott said. “In this type of crisis, they always do. They go above and beyond.”
Walker spoke about his experience leading during a tornado that hit his hospital in May 2013. He said 15 inpatients and more than 300 people were in the hospital when the tornado hit. Although there were no fatalities at the hospital and only two minor injuries, Walker said the aftermath was “very, very challenging” for him and his employees.
“There’s no way you can overcommunicate.” Walker said. “It’s all about doing the right things for the right reasons…Never, ever underestimate the importance of preparation.”
Gaines mentioned how she dealt with a nursing strike and prolonged labor strife at Mercy Health Partners.
“The key was constant communication,” she said. “It’s important to be visible at all levels.”
Connelly Jones said she would continue studying leaders to better understand the common characteristics in successful CEOs. She said her research would help recruiters identify executive candidates.
Executive Editor
Tim Casey joined TriMed Media Group in 2015 as Executive Editor. For the previous four years, he worked as an editor and writer for HMP Communications, primarily focused on covering managed care issues and reporting from medical and health care conferences. He was also a staff reporter at the Sacramento Bee for more than four years covering professional, college and high school sports. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA degree from Georgetown University.