Healthcare executives want to do the right things in order for their organizations to succeed. They are faced with countless decisions every day that must be considered, evaluated, and acted upon. It’s human nature to seek validation by looking at what others are doing, and if a lot of folks are doing it, then it must be right. Right?
Follow The Leader
The problem with this process is that you may be following someone who is following someone who is following someone…and it’s not necessarily clear that there is someone at the head of that line that actually knows the right path to take. Or, as may often be the case, the leader may have a very good reason to take the path they are taking, but it is a reason that is unique to their circumstances and possibly not to the circumstances of many of their peers…but the follow the leader game takes place anyway. I’m sure you can think of many examples of this phenomenon.
So how do you know what to do? Obviously, it starts with a great deal of self-awareness about what makes your organization tick. What is unique to your positioning, the communities you serve, your challenges and your accomplishments that should inform your strategy moving forward?
Analysis Paralysis
Of course, it’s easy to swing to the other extreme and spend so much time gazing at your navel that you never move forward. I had a professor once who would encounter a difficult problem and exclaim to the entire hall, “Paralyzed by indecision!” Of course, if you allow this to happen, you will be left behind by the ever changing landscape of healthcare, and the one thing we can be fairly certain of is that standing still is not a good option.
Simple Advice
Get some help. Engage a consultant who is skilled at assisting you to discern what is forest and what is tree. An option is our Vision and Strategy Review, or you might seek a similar engagement with someone else. This might help you know when to place your hand upon the shoulder of the kid in front of you, and when to let go and take another path.