The Tools CIOs Need To Weather The Storm

The prevailing theme of my previous two blogs on leadership, and indeed the prevailing theme of the healthcare industry today, is change. There seems to be change in just about every aspect of healthcare. The concept of value-based purchasing is driving the manner in which we are reimbursed by requiring improvements in quality and clinical outcomes as well as cost containment, by eliminating inefficiencies in our practices and processes. This same concept extends to healthcare education and research, as the industry looks for more successful approaches to teaching the next generation of clinicians a more efficient translation of clinical research to clinical care.

This tsunami of change has created a great deal of confusion, anxiety, insecurity and stress in the healthcare workforce. A recent article in The Journal of Healthcare Management found that the most important aspect of successfully leading the healthcare organization is the ability to demonstrate both emotional and behavioral intelligence.

Emotional intelligence came to the forefront of business thinking in 1995 when the book by Daniel Goleman was first published. Its primary focus was societal, but it soon began to make its way into business and management circles as an important component of leadership. Even today, there are some in leadership positions who might consider this concept as one of the soft skills that is difficult to recognize or acquire. More and more, however, we see this referenced in leadership venues from the Harvard Business Review to military academies.

There are two parts of emotional intelligence that are important for a leader who is managing in the midst of change. The first of these — and in my opinion, the most challenging — is the concept of self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to recognize, understand, and accept how you are personally wired to react or respond to stimuli that you encounter. These stimuli can be internal, but more often than not, they are external situations that you find yourself faced with in the normal course of life. It is only through self-awareness that you will be able to mitigate or improve the undesirable or unproductive effects that these stimuli have on you. It is keeping those emotions in check in order to rationally respond in a positive manner.

Unfortunately, self-awareness is one of those skills for which most health care leaders usually get the lowest marks in studies. I have seen some excellent examples of leaders in health care who do possess this quality, but they are in the minority. Self-awareness, however, is just the first step. A leader must also understand how situations affect the behaviors of those that they lead. This is often referred to as social awareness or behavioral intelligence. In particular, understanding how your leadership and behavioral style empowers and supports your team during what is undoubtedly the most turbulent and tumultuous time in the history of healthcare in this country is the key to successfully moving your organization ahead.

In a time of rapid change, most people become strongly resistant to that change, but especially if they believe their leadership does not understand the impact that change is having upon them. Many people in healthcare, especially mid-level or lower-level employees, have some characteristics that should be understood, according to the JHM article:

• They are sensitive to the needs of others (helpers), which is why they chose a current healthcare
• They prefer to follow rather than lead
• They can be very uncomfortable with change especially when pushed to conform or adapt quickly
• They often mask their true feelings to avoid conflict or confrontation
• They prefer a structured, organized and predictable work environment
• They want to do things ‘right’ and require a suitable amount time to do so

Any leader who tries to implement change without taking into account these emotional and behavioral characteristics of their workforce is heading for disaster. But by understanding these factors, you can not only largely avoid resistance, but you can create a culture of support and empathy, as well as bring out the very best in your team. Emotional and behavioral intelligence can be an incredibly powerful tool to not just survive, but to be successful, in these very challenging times.