Leading Health Care in the Future
// By Ritch Eich //
In my youth, I played several sports, like many boys of my generation. My friends and I didn’t know what sports camps or private lessons were. Often, our playing field was the street or an abandoned field next to the train tracks by an old cannery used to store excess World War II supplies. Our coach was a local dad (often mine) who would wander by after work to teach us how to throw, kick, or run faster.
Once I became involved in organized sports, I spent a little time on the bench watching others play, coach, and excel at the game. This was an experience with its own value. The bench, which fuels that pipeline of an organization’s future leaders, is just as important in business as it is in sports. Unfortunately, many health care organizations and hospitals underestimate the value of developing future leaders or developing a culture in which current leaders teach or mentor others to follow suit.
To be successful year after year, health care organizations must continuously strengthen their pool of future leaders, including doctors, nurses, and nonclinical staff, tapping into the younger generation waiting on the bench. The marketing and public relations department can—and should—help in this effort.