The school of hard knocks isn't the way to go in preparing leaders. Rather, it takes a strong leadership succession process, in which candidates have both experience and training to support their roles, according to Jonathan Burroughs, president and CEO of the Burroughs Healthcare Consulting Network in New Hampshire. The Hospital Impact contributing blogger also noted, "Cutting leadership programs due to budgetary constraints is self-defeating." Although hospitals traditionally found leaders based on seniority, loyalty and clinical competence, as Burroughs noted, just because someone is a good surgeon doesn't mean they will be a good leader in managing system problems, budgets and other human resource issues. "Good leadership is not an accident; it is the result of careful planning and the creation of a leadership succession-planning process." --Read the full Hospital Impact blog post