The purpose of this poster is to document some of the lessons learned during my first 3 months in a new leadership position at a new institution. The viewer of the poster should develop an awareness of some of the unique challenges facing a leader who transitions to a new healthcare organization and how to successfully navigate this frequently confusing and occasionally intimidating environment. It is best if you come into the new organization with a well thought out vision and strategy of where you want to take the department and organization. This requires significant preparation and the ability to adjust the plan as needed at a moments notice. You must make sure that the vision and the plan fit within the organizational goals of the institution. Avoid pressing for closure until you are confident the balance of forces acting on key people is tipping your way. Different steps—sometimes simultaneously, sometimes sequential—define success in the first three months, from promoting yourself (i.e. taking charge fast) to keeping your balance. Necessity to adapt and change rapidly in new positions. Self-discipline, team building, and the availability of trusted advice and counsel. The breakeven point: the point at which your organization needs you as much as you need the job. Preparation Conclusions Lessons Learned in the First 3 Months of Taking a New Leadership Position in a New Organization Scott F.M. Duncan, MD, MPH, MBA Ochsner Health System New Orleans, Louisiana Bibliography One of the most interesting aspects is how people will recognize the need for change, but then when you begin to actually change things, you realize what they really wanted was new ways to do the same old things, which obviously is not changing anything. This is where it is important to align expectations and hold people accountable for either supporting departmental initiatives or sabotaging your initiatives. Transforming a departmental or organizational culture is one of the most difficult things that you will face. No matter how good your strategy is, institutional culture will do its best to chew it up and spit your strategy back at you. The key here is to be flexible, and try to flex that high EQ that hopefully got you the job in the first place. 1. Promote yourself 2. Accelerate your learning (get set to learn) 3. Match strategy to situation 4. Secure early wins 5. Negotiate success 6. Achieve alignment 7. Build your team 8. Create coalitions 9. Keep your balance 10. Expedite everyone Prepare before you start the job Encourage low expectations of what you will accomplish Pick and brief your management team Determine your strategic focus Improve the corporate culture Develop your relationship with the board Communicate what you are doing Avoid making common mistakes 1.Your’re in Charge- Now What? By Thomas J. Neff and James M. Citrin 2.The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan. George B. Bradt, Jayme A. Check, Jorge E. Pedraza. Communication is critical to your success, and no matter how many meetings, memos, discussions you think you do, too many will not be enough. People cannot read your mind, and even if your message is consistent and strong, there is always someone who will misinterpret it the first dozen times or so. Prepare mentally and physically (the value of preparation) Craft a strategic agenda (lead a strategic process) Spend time in the right ways Absorb information Define the company’s challenges Establish credibility and win employees’ trust Assess the senior management team Prepare yourself emotionally Dealing with and transforming corporate culture Shaping the management team Working with a boss or board Hit the ground running Get set to learn Listen well Set proper expectations Read the culture Build trust Lead by example Set the appropriate direction Communicate effectively Prepare yourself during the countdown Align expectations Shape your management team Craft your strategic agenda Start transforming culture Manage your board/boss Communicate Avoid common pitfalls Making a powerful first impression on your first official day. Turning key stakeholders and direct reports into your allies. Building your new team with early wins. Fitting into a new corporate culture, and shaping its evolution. Creating, communicating, and implementing a new strategic direction. Avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls. Building loyalty, trust, and commitment with new colleagues. Moving into a new leadership position is one of the toughest challenges an executive can face. Nearly half of new leaders fail in their first eighteen months. Often that failure is the result of crucial mistakes made in the first 100 days. If that happens to you, your first 100 days on the job could be your last. Finally, even though you may have been brought in to be the department’s “savior”, do not fall into that trap. Do your job, and get as much help as possible to implement your vision. Leave the department better than you found it, knowing that your eventual replacement may still have issues to deal with despite your best efforts. Introduction Strategy & Tactics