Dark Clouds - Part II

If you've been paying attention to the news in Alberta in the past week, the temperature has only been ramping up on the expense scandal involving a former executive at Alberta Health Services (AHS).  Opposition politicians have been panning government and AHS responses to date (somewhat predictably) and have been calling for the resignation or termination of the current Minister of Health (again somewhat predictably).  AHS, no doubt supported by the government, has also stated that it will not be paying a severance package to the executive at the heart of the scandal.  I'm not sure how that will stand up in a court of law if the situation goes that direction, but perhaps it is only intended to be a symbolic gesture anyway.

The government has now directed one of its associate ministers to tighten up expense policies, identify ways to improve transparency to the public on expenses incurred by politicians and senior officials, and to review hiring processes for senior officials.  These might be the right things to do and may send a message to the public that matters are being taken seriously but unfortunately at this point it may just equate to closing the barn door after the horses have already bolted.  And for those of us horses that remain it sounds as though we might just get whipped harder even if we were well behaved.

Regrettably, the one thing that hasn't seemed to enter much into the public discussion in any meaningful way is around the existence, application or enforcement of professional codes of ethics or conduct.  I believe this is far less an issue of inadequate controls and guidelines for approving expenses.  At the core it is really about professional behaviour.  There is no doubt that there has been some discussion on the periphery of the issue and perhaps this forms the base for our visceral reaction to the story - we are scandalized because the circumstances seemingly affront some shared set of values we as a society share about what is right and what is wrong.  But there really hasn't been much depth to that part of the discussion.

I am a health care professional.  I place a fair bit of pride in that designation despite the black mark that recent events have given to administrative leaders.  I am currently a member of two health care professional bodies - the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).  I have been a member of both for several years.  I have served with the local chapter of CCHL as an executive on a couple of occasions.  I have also certified as a Fellow in the ACHE.  In the coming months I expect to become a certified management consultant and in the next year or two perhaps a certified executive coach.  All of these professional organizations have a code of ethics or a code of conduct which, as members, we undertake to uphold and advance. 

One phrase of the ACHE Code of Ethics stood out for me in light of the current controversy - "Healthcare executives have an obligation to act in ways that will merit the trust, confidence, and respect of healthcare professionals and the general public.  Therefore, healthcare executives should lead lives that embody an exemplary system of values and ethics." 

Reasonably powerful words.  Performing to this level of expectation is not just about working with an existing system of policies, procedures and regulations.  If I'm to achieve the level of performance suggested by ACHE (and other professional bodies) it seems to me that I should be striving for more than just the bare minimum acceptable behavior.  I have to undertake some significant work, introspection, and self-management to achieve this lofty goal.

I suspect that there will be more revelations in the days and weeks to come on this issue.  I hope, however, that this will be my last blog entry on the matter.  In that regard, I'm trying to live by an adage which I paraphrase here - those of us who have not sinned should cast the first stone.  I can't say that I am perfect and I'm sure that many of those casting stones have a few faults as well.

So while appropriate action should be taken as circumstances dictate, I hope that we as health care professionals can use this as an opportunity to proactively advance and support our professional code of ethics.  They cannot simply be statements posted on the wall or accessed through a website or handed out on the first day of orientation never to be seen or discussed again.  I believe we need to make much more practical use of these codes in our day-to-day work - using them to recruit management personnel, making them significant conditions of employment, effectively using them to evaluate managers and reward (or not) their performance.  Only by doing these types of things on an ongoing basis do I believe that we will have a chance at reinforcing positive behaviour.

Ultimately, as leaders we must demonstrate the behaviours called for by our professional code of ethics.  People are watching.  What they learn depends on us.

______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.