Though research has shown that overtly narcissistic CEOs may be a detriment to the hospital workplace, an article in Harvard Business Review warns that hiring a leader who is too nice may also have a negative impact.
Effective CEOs must be more than just friendly, according to the article; they must be highly decisive, as CEOs with that trait are 12 times more likely to get strong performance scores from their respective boards.
FierceHealthcare previously reported that the ideal healthcare CEO is an agile manager with a mind for change and a strategy to complete it. But nice CEOs may stretch their staffs too thin and confuse priorities by being afraid to say "no" to new ideas, HBR reported. Nice CEOs may also allow poor employees to remain on staff too long, according to HBR, and a lack of constructive feedback may ebb away trust in leadership.
CEO turnover continues to plague the healthcare industry, so shaking up leadership strategies may prevent a trip to the unemployment line. Though a touch of narcissism may make for a more effective hospital leader, too much can led to a tyrannical approach, FierceHealthcare previously reported.
Four steps can help healthcare CEOs go from being too nice to being effective leaders, according to the article:
- Be aware of your behavior. A lack of clear feedback, both positive and negative, and allowing underperforming staffers to continue in their roles can confuse the ultimate message to employees.
- Make your goals and values clear. Your staff will respect you more if you achieve great results.
- Challenge yourself to act decisively. Examine previous situations where you were decisive and determine how and why such decisions were effective.
- Adapt your approach. Craft a plan to better prioritize initiatives, offer feedback and face issues directly. Online surveying may be an easy, free way to gather opinions on your performance from staff.
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