So you have grown your hospital, and the two managers that you have are now unable to support all of your hospital goals. You are ready to develop leaders on the floor to take on some of the operational plans that you have coming up.

What is the best way to start so that you are setting your new leaders up for success?

  • Spend time developing their job description. Discover what your hospital’s needs are. Do you want them to hold the team accountable to the checklist you created on the floor? Do you want them to get their team feedback on handbook policies? Do you want them to perform additional tasks, like maintenance on bloodwork machines or other equipment? How many hours a week will you allow them to work on their Department?
  • Determine a Payscale. How much can your hospital afford to pay these individuals? Look at the gross amount of money you are bringing into your hospital and multiply it by the budget percentage you are trying to maintain for overall staff salaries. For example, Suppose my hospital generates 1 million dollars in revenue, and I want to keep staff salaries and benefits at 20% of gross income. In that case, I have 1 million multiplied by 20% = $200,000.00 to use on staff salary. You may consider increasing your budget for staff salaries to invest in your team because the benefit of having these people on your team will improve your hospital’s revenue.
  • Communication. You have been used to making a decision and rolling out changes to your team with the current managers that you have. However, remember that if you do not communicate upcoming changes to your new team leaders first, it will make them feel unimportant. They do not have to be part of the decision-making process but should be aware of any hospital changes before they hit the team. These quick meetings will help set them up for success when they get questions on the floor about the change.
  • Set Goals. Set SMART goals for these leaders. It can be simple goals about increasing the total amount of senior lab profile compliance. Help them determine what amount of bloodwork we are doing now, where you want them to get to, and how to help their team achieve those goals.
  • Follow-up. Make sure you are following up with these individuals. Schedule regular check-ins with them. Spend a little time chatting so that you are developing your relationship with them. Then get into their SMART goals to determine if they are on track. Discuss any issues they are having with their Department, help them solve them, and make a plan before the meeting is complete so that they understand what to accomplish.
  • Share Hospital Goals. Make sure these leaders are well aware of the goals that the hospital is trying to achieve. If they are unaware of upcoming plans, it will be difficult for them to understand why you might be pushing for something they do not think is necessary. For example, if you have plans to open a second location and are trying to grow your current hospital to build up demand but have yet to share this with them, they might not be willing to take on the additional clients or work.
  • Core Values. Make sure your new leaders understand your core values. They should know that the hospital’s core values are characteristics that you are looking for in every one of the team members that are currently on your team and any new team members that we hire.
These seven items will get you started on the right foot with your new Leaders. Once these seven items move in the right direction, help these leaders find continuing education. You should find continuing education that supports them being an expert in their Department, and leadership/ communication skills are top on the list.