How does a C-suite healthcare executive organize the day? Make important decisions with so many other activities in the works? Commit to improve the organization and healthcare delivery with the best use of health IT?
Ken Jennings, PhD, Managing Director of Third River Partners, LLC, knows, because he works with senior executives to help them think about, and plan for, the future. He’s also led workshops for leaders of healthcare, government and bio-pharmaceutical organizations, including the Cleveland Clinic, UPMC and Texas Health Resources, to name just a few.
As Jennings noted in a Sept. 26 news release, “We know senior executives love learning from each other. They rarely sit with and learn from their colleagues who are struggling with the same strategic questions.” As Jennings explains, C-suite attendees (at his workshops) spend time talking with each other to see how their peers are addressing similar issues, and then, suggest their own ideas in this safe and energetic environment.
This decision-making process focuses on a streamlined approach, what Jennings calls the “4 Bs,” noting the biggest hurdle for the C-suite is going from high-level strategy to actionable implementation. His “4 Bs” of C-suite action are:
- Build practical actions;
- Build on their success;
- Build a bridge to the future; and
“There is one more B,” says Jennings, “that provides the culminating factor for a senior leader.”
- Benchmark against your colleagues in the room.
“The future is coming at them like a fire hose,” explains Jennings, referring to healthcare leaders in the C-suite, “and the HIMSS Healthcare Transformation Project gives these C-suite executives an opportunity to meet with other ‘firefighters,’ who are their peers, to prioritize important strategic challenges.”
Jennings will lead the Meaningful Discussions workshop at the Nov. 14-16 Healthcare Transformation Project Annual Forum in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Find out more about the HIMSS Healthcare Transformation Project.
