The Case for Disruption in Canadian Healthcare

One of the tasks that I set myself is to do what I can to keep current on issues that matter to my clients. This builds on my lifelong interest in learning.  In doing so, I've increasingly tried to force myself into new areas of learning or non-traditional avenues that can stretch my thinking, establish new thought patterns, and suggest unique opportunities to delivering value.  As I've continued to grow my executive coaching and consulting practices, one of the singular benefits that I've derived comes from working in a variety of sectors that substantially transcend my former career as a senior executive in healthcare.  The experience with so many other sectors has significantly expanded my view of the world, opened up new possibilities, and allowed me to bring greater value to all of my clients.  My own personal disruption - career change - has had significant positive benefits for me.

These positive returns, as with all types of disruption, did not come without pain and challenge.  Indeed that's what we see in all industries that have undergone significant disruption. A new model for product or service delivery is introduced, competitive conflict and "bloodshed" ensues over some period of time, before a new "normal" is established.  Certainly some of the more familiar examples of disruption are often associated with technological innovations, e.g., the automobile, the airplane, the internet.  But just as often, and perhaps more profoundly, we find sentinel disruptions coming from new ideas and new means of delivering products and services like Walmart, Apple and Uber.  In these cases, existing business paradigms are turned inside out, upside down and/or entirely bypassed in order to achieve a position of market dominance including creation of entirely new markets.  Perhaps common to all of these disruptive innovations is a deep understanding and better appreciation of what fundamental customer needs and desires are.

Over the past several decades as concerns about costs in Canada's healthcare system have been debated, as new technologies have been introduced, and as governments and health administrators have attempted to grapple with a myriad of challenges to system performance and sustainability a plethora of studies and solutions have been offered in support of desired outcomes.  Yet for all these studies, changes, and restructuring there are certainly questions about what we have achieved for the significant investment of time, energy and money.  Debate continues around whether we have achieved healthcare's triple aim of improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of our population, and reducing the per capita cost of health care.

Ongoing prescriptions for impactful change - mine among them - call for clear vision, sustained effort towards achievement of a vision, and strong leadership.  I still believe that all of those are necessary prerequisites for a more effective and sustainable health system.  However, I'm also increasingly of the mind that Canada's healthcare system needs its own Uber to break out us of our incremental pattern of change.  Some might take issue with my assertion that we've only undertaken incremental change and note major shifts in health governance and structures in the past number of years.  However, I suggest that while challenging and energy-draining, these changes have not fundamentally altered altered how we deliver healthcare services nor have they changed our bottom-line results.  To my mind, even the advent and expansion of specialized, privately-owned/ operated health services (e.g., surgi-centres) has done little to change the base paradigm for health services in Canada.

Ultimately, what we may need to come to terms with is whether a highly-regulated and bureaucratized system - subject to the whims and foibles of political forces and professional self-interest - is actually able to deliver the significant and widespread innovation necessary to deal with current and future challenges.

As with other disruptive influences and forces that have reshaped other industries the solution may need to come from an outside source.  Perhaps the leadership and disruptive change cannot, in fact, come from our current political parties, pundits, leaders and structures.  We are too bound up in managing the day-to-day challenges, vested in current systems, too constrained by our current view of how things have been and should be.  Perhaps for truly innovative and breakthrough solutions to present themselves we need our own version of Steve Jobs and Uber.  My thoughts and hopes for a vastly improved health care system increasingly lie in this direction and with this hope.

Disruption can often times feel like anarchy and barbarians at the gate (just ask taxi operators about Uber) but in as many circumstances it can be a harbinger of a new industry or reshaping of an existing one to deal with fundamental customer requirements (e.g., cost-effective and timely transportation in the case of Uber?). Is this the path forward for healthcare?  Can some leader or leaders break the mold and pave a path to delivering on our Triple Aim?

Is leadership in healthcare about managing and smoothing disruptive influences for the effective management of the organization or do we need leadership to BE the disruptive force that takes us to a new, impossible to imagine, level of performance that we require.

Either way it's all about leadership. 
______________________________

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.

Leader Heal - or Direct - Thyself!

I get a lot of satisfaction from being an executive coach and consultant.  Most of the time what this look and feels like is the gratification I get from helping individuals, team and organizations make an important breakthrough, realize and own their strengths, and achieve a goal that they have never imagined possible.  Beyond that, my clients also cause me to reflect a great deal on what is possible in my own business and personal life.  They inspire me by their journey, their courage and their commitment to make something real for themselves.

Most importantly they continue to teach me the importance of turning my executive coaching lens and leadership abilities on myself from time to time.  They compel me to practice what I preach.  They direct me, as a leader, to chart my course and take specific action to realize my personal vision.

Just as organizations benefit from having, developing and living to a well-articulated vision and set of values so too is it clear to me that individuals - leaders - similarly benefit from similar efforts in solidifying their own direction and plan.  Just as with an organizational effort, significant time, energy and thought should be put into establishing a leader's personal vision, values, strategic directions and action plans.  All too often, however, we assume "we've got it".  Why do I need to plan for something when I'm already "on the path"?  The answer to these types of questions is not necessarily dissimilar to why an organization undertakes a strategic planning process - clarity of direction.  And don't assume that just because you are a force of one that you don't have to coordinate or consult with others to achieve your grand vision.  In fact, it might be critical to seek out support or thoughts from others in your journey - mentor, colleague, spouse.  None of us, no matter how accomplished a leader, can claim omnipotence.  

I've had my own personal Mission, Vision and Values statements for at least 15 years.  I've recently been more motivated to develop specific annual goals and objectives that move me toward achievement of my vision.  I've made effort to review these products on a periodic basis and particularly at points in time where I've either been considering or experiencing a major transition in my career or life.  In general, I can say that an intensive review has taken place at least every two to three years.  In fact, I'm undertaking that personal "business plan" review right now.  Otherwise, I keep my plans close at hand and visible enough to remind me and support me in my day-to-day work.  The frequency with which I review my commitments to myself seems to work and I've surprised myself in seeing how stable my vision and values have been over the years despite some major changes in personal circumstances.

Key to the long-term stability - and relevance - of my personal mission, vision and values was some pretty intense up-front work and personal introspection.  I wasn't always interested in that level of self-work and there are days even now where I cringe at the "touchy-feely" exercise that it can sometimes feel like.  Certainly some of my closest colleagues over the years will attest to the challenge of trying to get me to explore my inner self! 

I strongly believe that every leader should put this kind of work into themselves.  They owe it to themselves, but they also owe it to those that they hope to lead.  And it's not just thinking about it - you need to spend time crafting, articulating and ultimately putting pen to paper.  It's not something that you may share with anyone but yourself, but it will clarify what is important to you as a person and as a leader, will help guide your decision-making in an organization, and will help place your career goals within the context of your broader life goals.  This latter point is critical.  We don't exist in a vacuum nor in a manner that allows us to easily compartmentalize our lives.  Our work life impacts our home life and vice versa.  I believe that this reality is too strong to ignore and we do a great disservice to ourselves and others if we try to force that compartmentalization.

What are the necessary steps to creating the components of your personal plan?  In some ways, the effort and the components very much mirror the work most of us as leaders have done in crafting strategic plans for our organizations.  We have experience and templates/processes already available to us that we can scale back to an individual level.  Most efforts need to start with some process of self-evaluation or self-diagnosis.  This could take a variety of forms.  Over the years I have continued to take advantage of opportunities afforded to me by 360 performance reviews/ assessments, self assessments, or even something as simple as a SWOT framework applied to my leadership/business.  This self-evaluation process may include both reflections/lessons learned from your past experiences as a leader - how did people in the past respond to your leadership?  Your process may also benefit from an assessment of the approach, style, qualities and perceived values of leaders you have worked for in the past.  I have found that I have learned more from poor leaders as I have from excellent leaders.  Poor leaders have helped me define what I don't stand for and how I won't lead.

There is also benefit in writing down your thoughts about your vision and values as you go.  You need to engage with yourself and struggle with the work of articulating what is important to you as a leader.  Don't expect to come up with the perfect statements in the first - or seventh - attempt.  As you know from work on organizational strategic plans, there is a lot of back and forth, refining and clarifying that is going to happen.  Cut yourself some slack in the process and understand that you make refinements as you grow and develop in your leadership knowledge.  Don't be afraid to listen to what others say about what are important leadership qualities to them.  That doesn't mean just adopting what somebody else has said, but there will more grist for the mill in your process and at this point more input is better than no input or ideas.  Talk with some of your trusted colleagues.  There is great benefit in bouncing ideas off those who will be honest with you about your strengths, weaknesses and current leadership behaviours - if you have the strength and courage to really hear them.

Charting your leadership course may mean that you end up with far more than just a set of statements about your personal Mission, Vision and Values.  You could choose to create other components of your own strategic plan including a personal action/learning plan (Human Resource Plan), personal strengths/approach that characterize your leadership style (Marketing Plan), how you want to be known or remembered as a leader, and any number of other components.  The choice is up to you.  At the end of the day you also need to make a commitment to taking the first steps in making your vision real - what will you do in the next 3 months, 6 months and year to move you closer to your ultimate goal.  Vision without action is simply a dream.  Action without vision is simply a frenzy.

My personal "business plan" is perhaps a bit different than some.  I have not articulated a vision as simply a statement of a position I expect to hold in five years.  Rather I have talked about the characteristics of my life that I want to be known by - honesty, integrity, hard work - the lifestyle I expect to lead (e.g., physically active, life-long learner), and my commitment to family and others.  At a professional level I have focused on being of value to my profession and being respected and valued by my clients and colleagues.  The value in this approach is that it allows me to be true to my core rather than defining success by whether I've achieved a particular position.  Moreover, it allows for a greater degree of personal flexibility in responding to both adversity and opportunity - life can throw us curves, both good and not so good, but if we keep our eye on our personal north star we will be successful in navigating short-term "surprises". The ultimate benefit of knowing yourself is the ability it gives you to truly take control of your journey to becoming the most effective leader - and person - you can be. 

Your future is yours to create if you understand who you are and what is important to you.  Chart your course.  Your star is out there.

______________________________

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.

Use Executive Coaching to Your Best Advantage!

I've previously posted on how to select your executive coach and touched a bit on what executive coaching is all about.  However, I've not yet addressed how you should prepare to get the most out of your executive coaching engagement.  Executive coaching can be one of the most effective ways of accelerating your development as a leader and well it should since it can represent a significant investment of personal and/or organizational time and money. Here's my list of things you should do to maximize the benefits of your executive coaching experience.

1. Define your outcomes.  Any good executive coach will seek to establish an understanding of your specific goals and objectives for the engagement.  Moreover, they may have at hand various methods by which to draw those out of you and define the work for the next number of months.  Ultimately, however, the goals and objectives and outcomes are for you to own, create and work towards.  In the case of support being provided by an organization (not just an individual) there may be specific expectations and outcomes defined by a supervisor.  Regardless, work towards clearly defining the target.  Otherwise at the end of the engagement all parties may be frustrated with what's been achieved or not.
2. Be prepared to work.  An executive coach is there to challenge your thinking and assumptions, to move you to new levels of performance, and to enhance confidence through action.  But just as it is incumbent upon you to define the outcomes it is equally essential that you show up in the coaching session ready to work.  The time spent with a coach should not be akin to pulling teeth - you are addressing your current challenges, taking charge of your future, and you should be prepared to work as hard - and harder - than your coach.  Don't expect your coach to do the heavy lifting for you.
3. Be prepared to work - Part II.  The work in a coaching engagement doesn't just or even mostly happen when you are face-to-face with your executive coach.  Your time with your executive coach is designed to develop plans, explore options, test assumptions and commit to change.  While a change in perspective and perception will happen in the executive coaching session, delivery and action happens in between sessions and back at the coal face of your work.  All the best laid plans are only as effective what actually happens when you implement your plans.  Be the change you want to see!
   
4. Drive the agenda.  Sometimes it's of benefit to think of your executive coach as your co-pilot.  You are in charge of where you need to go.  You define the work for each session.  Again your executive coach will be there as a guide, a thinking partner, and a challenger, but you are in charge.  You are the leader in your business (and personal life) so be the leader in your own personal development.  Work with your co-pilot to plot the course at each session and once decided focus on your path.
5. Be truthful, candid and honest.  Your executive coach is focused on your success.  Period.  In that regard, if you have done the best job possible in selecting your executive coach (check out my October 14, 2014 post "Selecting Your Executive Coach - Redux") you've determined a fit does in fact exist, you trust the person in front of you and you are confident in their track record in support of your goals.  So don't beat around the bush.  Time is money and if you are going to move forward assertively be prepared to be vulnerable.  It's in your best interests and your executive coach has no other agenda than what works for you. 
6. Have the courage to change.  Engaging with an executive coach is not about maintenance or just having a great conversation.  You - or your organization - is expecting you to evolve, grow and change as a result of the investment of time and money made in an executive coach.  Work with an executive coach is not about maintenance of status quo.  You should expect that when you choose an executive coach that you will be undertaking new challenges, overcoming anxieties, and assertively progressing forward.  The coaching engagement should make you feel uncomfortable.  Be prepared for and embrace change!
   
7. Own the coaching relationship.  As tough as it might be for some executive coaches, you are the customer and the customer is always right.  Tell your coach - your vendor - what is working for you in the coaching engagement, what's not working and how the work can be changed to be more effective.  That being said, be prepared for your coach to push you.  Part of the value in executive coaching is breaking out of your comfort zone and traditional patterns of behavior.  It's a give and take relationship and both you and your executive coach will work to develop an effective and constructive working partnership.

It's my hope and expectation that following these guidelines you will make the most out of your investment in yourself through executive coaching.  Coaching can be a powerful tool in moving your leadership forward in a powerful way but much of that success depends on your leadership in the engagement.
______________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
President & Co-Founder
BreakPoint Solutions
gregh@breakpoint.solutions
780-250-2543

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.