A R

The Management Springboard:

Eight Ways to Launch Your Career
as a Healthcare Leader
Jack Schlosser, FACHE, managing director. Spencer Stuart, Los Angeles, California

S enior leaders throughout the healthcare industry, including GEOs of health

systems and members oí Modem Healthcare's Health Gare Hall of Fame, started
where some of you are now—in their first management role. Through more than 25
years serving in an executive search capacity, I have observed the careers of executives
who have achieved great success and of those who never fully realized their poten-
tial. Making the most of early management opportunities can mean the difference
between accelerating the momentum in your career and being sidelined. Following
are eight behaviors I have witnessed early and often in those leaders who have crafted
successful careers.

C O M M O N BEHAVIORS THAT DRIVE CAREER S U C C E S S

1. Apply Yourself
Give yourself a pat on the back, and then get to work. No matter what your first
management position is, apply yourself as if you plan to spend the rest of your career
performing just this role. The odds are overwhelmingly in your favor that your first
task will not be your only one, but early success can shorten the time required to
move on to broader roles with greater impact.
Both good and bad work contribute to one's professional reputation early on.
You never know whom you may impress or what doors may open from even a minor
accomplishment or exchange. If you apply yourself with passion and see the impor-
tcince of every interaction, the law of averages could come into play and pay off later.

2. Share Your Accomplishments

You know what you have accomplished better than anyone else. Thus, it is appropri-
ate, and even advisable, to share your achievements with those who should know
about them. Although your immediate supervisor should already be aware of your
ongoing accomplishments, do not assume that is the case. And you need not wait
until your year-end review to share your achievements. Although teamwork is always
important and employers generally appreciate someone who shares recognition with
others involved in an initiative, be sure to make individual contributions and articu-
late what those contributions entailed. Silence or vagueness on this front can give the
impression that you were simply along for the ride.

14
 CAREERS

3. Keep a 360-Oegree Perspective

Engage with people at all levels: those you supervise, your peers, and those you report
to. Forging connections with individuals you supervise helps ensure optimal output,
reflecting positively on your leadership skills. You learn by engaging with peers and
will be able to apply what you learn to your span of control. Connecting with those
above you to discuss your issues and accomplishments, as well as to learn from their
experience, can benefit you as you take on greater responsibility. While opportunities
often come directly from relationships with people at higher levels, or even peers,
those below you are critical to the work you produce and your overall reputation.
Also bear in mind that just as you have risen through the ranks, today's subordinate
could be tomorrow's superior.

4. Build Your Network

Many of the most successful healthcare executives began growing their network early
in their career and invest in it to this day. A list of contacts that grows over many years
can prove invaluable as a means by which to exchange ideas, provide and seek sup-
port during job searches, and stay engaged with peers and mentors. After you meet
someone, connect vdth them on Linkedin and save their contact information. Iden-
tify VIPs on your list and create touch points with them on at least a quarterly basis.
Your network should go beyond those who work in your industry or perform a
similar function. Whether or not you are seeking a new role, a conversation with a
recruiter may lead to opportunities down the road or even help a peer currently in
transition. The relationships you forge with vendors can also benefit your organiza-
tion in numerous ways.
Pressures of the day can sometimes pull you away from these activities, but a
network that is not nurtured can atrophy. On the flip side, do not network at the
expense of your job. Choose your networking opportunities wisely, and make the
most of them. If you join a group, do not just show up. Try to participate in a leader-
ship capacity and get to the podium. Make sure to give as much as you take, so that
your networking is not a one-way street and people want to stay connected with you.

5. Be Creative
Early management roles may lack the breadth and scope found in later, larger career
opportunities, but most roles that require management's supervision hold the poten-
tial for becoming bigger and better. Create a strategy for improving any situation that
you inherit, and propose a unique way to solve it that advances your area of over-
sight. Benchmark your organization against those viewed as best in class and look
for solutions in unconventional places, then apply that knowledge to improve your
management purview.

6. Avoid Being Pigeonholed

If you are successful in a certain area, you will generally be asked to repeat your
work. This prospect appeals to some people, and they may end up working in highly

15
JOURNAL OF HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT 59:1 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

specialized areas. If you aspire to a broader or more strategic role, however, it helps
to have a career plan so you can actively pursue that route, rather than having a route
imposed on you. If you are offered roles that will constrain you, be firm and push
for other opportunities in an appropriate way. If you know what you want to do over
the long term, you can look for opportunities that will round out your experience or
provide you with a better path to your ultimate goal. If you want a job in line opera-
tions, for example, do not move to another staff job.

7. Handle Setbacks With Grace

Every career encounters bumps. When the outcome of a project or an initiative under
your direction does not achieve expected results, be honest, own up to your mistakes,
and investigate what you might have done differently. People are impressed when
you apply your experience to future efforts, are accountable for your actions, and
handle a misstep gracefully; such a failure, handled well, can ultimately be a career
accelerator.

8. Time Your Transitions

Be thoughtful about the moves you make. Early in your career, frequent changes tend
to be acceptable, as you are perceived as finding your niche and achieving the potential
in roles more quickly than others might. However, afrer your second or third position,
stay long enough to experience the outcomes of your work and build on the results.
If the perception is that you are moving to a new position every two to three years,
people begin to question whether you are being pulled or pushed out of organizations.
When independent hospitals were more common, it was often necessary to change
companies to move up; now, systems are more prevalent and can offer many opportu-
nities. Progression within one organization is often a clear indicator of success.
Of course, you need to continue to be challenged and to be fairly rewarded for
your efforts. Monitor the marketplace and the rate at which your peers are advancing.
If you are not keeping pace, then it may be a good time to activate your network and
explore other opportunities. More likely, however, as your successes build, people
will seek you out, and you will have the option to carefully consider your next step,
with greater leverage at the negotiating table.

CONCLUSION
The healthcare industry abounds with opportunities for leaders who understand its
complex landscape and can motivate others to advance an organization's mission
and strategy. By laying the groundwork in your first management role, you are help-
ing to ensure the long-term health of your career.

For more information about the concepts in this column, contact Mr. Schlosser
at jschlosser@spencerstuart.com.

16
Copyright of Journal of Healthcare Management is the property of American College of
Healthcare Executives and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted
to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may
print, download, or email articles for individual use.