The Journey to Success - Part 3

Author

Stephen C. Hanson, FACHE, Partner, CEO Advisory Network
Steve is a senior executive with a consistent track record serving five health systems and four independent hospitals providing services to seven states over a multi decade career.

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Reporting Relationships | The Interim CEO

​The interim CEO will report to a local governing body or in a larger system, typically a regional operations executive.  It is critical that the interim CEO know the priorities of the overall governing body, the individual members, and the health system, if applicable. 

• Are there differences of opinion between the governing body and the regional operations executive?
• Are there differences of opinion among the members of the governing body?
• How will they be resolved?
• Where is the overall hospital or system political issues and how will they be dealt with?
• In a system, how much power does the local board have vis a vis the system board?

The interim CEO also needs to understand what his/her direct reports are looking for in this period. 

• What are their areas of concern, their priorities, the leadership styles, their ability to work as a team?
• What does the interim CEO expect to have communicated to him/her?
• Are there relatively clear levels of authority?
• What are the internal cultural/political issues?

THE INTERIM COO

The main difference with the interim COO is that he/she has the single report up in the CEO who, whether there as CEO for a long time or recently promoted, likely has reasonable tenure with the organization.  This will require specific attention, so the role and expectations of the interim COO are clear.  Even the best run organizations have opportunities to improve.  How can the need for improvements be identified through the diagnostic process described above and action plans to rectify while being respectful of the organization’s history?
 
The interim COO also has to be acutely attuned to the needs of his/her direct reports, just like the interim CEO.
 
The placement of an interim CEO or COO provides great opportunity for every health organization to have an external perspective into the things that are truly important to it, as described above.  The correct external placement also can provide many years and experiences beyond what a potential permanent candidate would bring.  This allows the organization to begin (or continue) to thrive when the permanent person in the role is hired.

The important thing to remember is NOT all interim CEO or COO candidates are the same.  

Often governing bodies or system leaders move quickly to put a leader in place for fear of the gaps that will occur in the interim.  At CEO Advisory Network, we understand putting the “right leader” in place can save you time, money, loss of strategic direction and confidence among physicians and staff.  Our interim leaders are experienced with handling complex challenges, creating the right culture, and most importantly delivering on your mission’s promise to the families, friends, and neighbors who turn to your hospital(s) during the hour of need.  More will follow on the promise of interim executives and leadership in general. 
 
I am proud to be a Partner in the CEO Advisory Network which provides interim leadership with all c-suite positions included seasoned and mid-career executives.  I invite you to learn more about us.  We also provide coaching and consulting and a hospital executive roundtable.  Please reach out to me directly at [email protected] if you have questions or need suggestions.