Successful CEOs possess a special gift for seeing around corners and into the future, anticipating where the industry is heading and positioning their organizations to be part of what’s coming. But vision alone does not build a company. The practical skills that translate vision into reality revolve around three foundational pillars: team members, systems and the tools needed for success.
1. Team members and culture
The CEO sets the tone for culture within the organization; an extraordinary culture is one of the most powerful and enduring competitive moats a company can build. Every team member must have absolute clarity about the company’s purpose, objectives and goals. Beyond that, each person needs full accountability for their role in achieving success.
Accountability must be objective and measurable, so each team member knows whether they are performing at a high level before hearing it from the person they report to. When standards are clear and self-evident, people take ownership rather than waiting for direction.
The CEO must also be deliberate about the “how” behind the work — not just what needs to be accomplished but the manner in which the team operates. That “how” is what creates culture, both internally and externally. Culture is not an accident; it is designed and modeled from the top. Making hiring and staffing decisions through the lens of defined culture attributes exponentially elevates the success rate of new team members.
2. Systems, the “company way”
The company must operate by systems, with each primary system followed consistently by every member of the relevant department. Every organization should have its own “way” — its way of performing tasks, processes and systems. Uniformity in following the “company way” is what enhances operational excellence. When everyone executes from the same playbook, the result is consistent, scalable and reliable outcomes.
3. Tools and support for success
The third pillar is ensuring that team members have everything they need to succeed: ongoing education, training and the optimal tools to do their work. In healthcare, many of those tools are equipment and technology driven. But technology alone is not enough; its most effective use always involves education and training to ensure adoption and impact.
In summary
The CEO’s role is to look into the future while simultaneously creating an optimal environment in the present, one defined by absolute clarity for the team, proven processes that drive consistent performance and the full support team members need to do their best work. When those three pillars are in place, the result is a company that is not only growing but built to endure.
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