Investing in the Next Generation of Healthcare Leaders

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. healthcare worker shortage is predicted to result in a shortfall of 3.2 million by 2026. This is compounded by the fact that in the next 2-5 years, a large percentage of seasoned/subject matter experts will retire from leadership and bedside patient care. Therefore, organizations must invest in workforce retention strategies to grow tomorrow’s leaders and retain top talent.

There are several employee retention strategies that a service line leader can implement to foster a culture of professional development and thoughtful upward mobility. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but one that I have successfully implemented as a service line leader and witnessed with various healthcare organizations as a national vice president consultant with Corazon.

Leadership Accessibility and Visibility:

Younger generations expect to know their boss in a more personal way. They want validation that the leaders’ values and beliefs are congruent with the organizational mission and values, along with their own. This will require one-on-one face time with employees to gain their trust and insights. Employees want to know that their overall well-being is a priority to leadership beyond the work tasks. One strategy to meet this need is through rounding in the clinical area and taking the time to speak to staff and create a personal connection with team members. This provides the leader with information related to work barriers identified by the team as well as personal check-in time with staff. A personal connection in addition to professional acknowledgements is imperative for today’s leaders. Genuinely caring about employees’ well-being and building a connection with them should be a leadership priority.

Succession Planning for Identified Staff

While various methods and tools can be utilized to create succession plans for identified high-performing employees, the common denominator needed is dedicated time by the leader. One must commit time to meeting with the employee and developing an individualized succession plan. This should be an interactive process with the employee. It is highly recommended that at a minimum, quarterly standing meetings should be prescheduled for the entire year to ensure a long-term commitment by both parties. It is also recommended that a mentor be assigned for the same timeframe. The role of the selected mentor is to contribute to the customized succession plan. The mentor should be someone whom the employee trusts and is in a higher-level position within the organization for the employee to learn and gain new perspectives.

Remain Competitive with Compensation and Benefits

Sometimes staff retention comes down to ensuring a competitive advantage through salary and benefits. While many HR salary surveys have traditionally been performed annually or every two years, semiannually might be the new cadence during workforce shortages in key clinical positions. Organizations may also need to adopt incentive plans that have traditionally been afforded to the executive or physician ranks. This could include quality bonuses, student loan repayment, subsidies for childcare, and other meaningful incentives. Group incentives are proven to encourage teamwork, collaboration, and work alignment.

Wait For the Right Candidate

Have a clear picture of the role, responsibilities, and needs before starting any recruitment. You are looking for fit and enhancing organizational and departmental culture beyond clinical skills. To help recruit top talent, ask behavioral structured questions in addition to clinical questions to better understand the emotional intelligence of the candidate. This can include the following types of questions:

• Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a colleague
• Describe a time when your communication failed you and a peer. What did you learn and do differently as a result?
• Give an example of how you juggled multiple priorities.
• How have you motivated others on your teams in the past?
• Give examples of how you deal with conflict.
• Describe a time in which your colleagues disagreed with you and how you handled it.
• How would others describe your leadership style (if this is a leadership position)?

It is also advisable that you widen the interview panel to ensure you are getting a well-rounded perspective on the candidate.

The challenge for any healthcare leader today is having the time to provide professional development and growth opportunities for select members of the team. This requires a disciplined commitment to methodically grow up-and-coming leaders. Meeting with high performers, teaching them the art and science of leadership, along with giving them face-to-face time are significant investments. However, this will pay dividends for the next generation of healthcare leaders.  It is our obligation and duty as seasoned healthcare leaders to create opportunities for staff and to foster a spirit of learning and creative problem-solving for the next generation of healthcare leaders to lead boldly to help solve the dilemma of facing a reduced healthcare workforce during a time when the demand for medical services is increasing with the longevity of the aging population.