Leaders, if it feels like guiding your organization is harder than ever right now, you’re not alone. After all, factors including high turnover, increased demand for emotional intelligence in the midst of complicated workforce well-being challenges, and societal unrest are all contributing to making your role more complex — and more draining. 

Leadership turnover has remained high over the past few years in the health ecosystem, with recent research by the American College of Healthcare Executives reporting an 18% turnover rate for CEOs. As executives leave, human resources (HR) leaders are left with tough questions around who will take their place. What does success and growth look like for their organization? How does a company find, and hire, an executive who wants to create the workforce of the future -  diverse, technologically competent, and global? Who, whether they are inside or outside of the company, is in a position to replace the incumbent? 

For any organization, change is a natural part of day-to-day work. From employee transitions to industry innovations, change is inevitable. For leaders, adapting to change can be difficult if they don’t have the right mindset, tools, or capabilities to do so. The speed of change has rapidly increased over the years — such as the advent of telehealth and new digital technologies to support healthcare. In fact, the United States boasts the largest growing health industry in the world, consisting now of over 784,626 companies. With a 9.7% annual rate of growth, it’s more important than ever for leaders to master the art of change.

At any organization, change is inevitable — and necessary! Whether team members retire or take on new positions, it’s natural to expect roles to change over time as a product of growth. While change is the only constant, it can still create setbacks for both the individual and organization when those stepping up to take on new responsibilities, and those that will be impacted by the change, are not properly prepared.

Trust is the backbone of any healthy organization. Without trust in self, colleagues, and leadership, organizations are unable to reap the rewards of effective working relationships and collaborations. This is especially true within healthcare organizations, where a lack of trust can result in lower quality patient care.

Before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Gilead were often tagged as “big pharma” putting profit before purpose.

Now, one year later, pharmaceutical companies are being praised for their positive impact resulting from the speed at which they were capable of producing FDA-approved treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.

Through its ingenuity, strategic leadership and nimble pipeline management practices, the pharmaceutical industry is meeting a deep and drastic human need: to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and alive.

When our executive coaching client Jane* was appointed vice president and COO of a large community hospital of an academic health system, her new appointment represented an exciting milestone in her career trajectory.

Last November, three professional healthcare associations co-wrote and published an open letter to the American public. In the letter, the AHA, the ANA and AMA pleaded with us to follow recommended COVID-19 infection control protocols. Back then, eight months into our pandemic, the associations expressed what many of us across the health ecosystem felt and feel: “We are all weary,” they wrote.

Today's workplaces are responding to never before seen challenges and scenarios, all while adjusting to a virtual work-from-home environment. It's clear that solving these new challenges will require individuals and teams to think differently than they have in the past, which begs the question..How can leaders and teams establish a culture of virtual innovation?

Taking the time for Mindfulness 

With the abundance of uncertainties facing us in present day, it can be challenging to remain focused on one task at a time. Our minds are riddled with thoughts of responsibilities to take care of, meetings to attend, changes and adaptations that need to be made, and the like. When so many thoughts and concerns are circling around our mind all at once, it can feel like we are going through the motions on autopilot without truly experiencing life as it is right now in the present. Taking the time to focus and to mindfully live your best life in both your work and personal life is a critical component of long term satisfaction.