Health Alert! 5 Bold Actions to Save America’s Health System: Unleash Strategic Health Leadership (SHELDR)

Blip-Zip Summary

America’s healthcare system is broken, costing trillions and yielding poor results. We need SHELDRs – leaders with the skills to transform it. This article outlines five crucial calls to action: develop SHELDRs, embrace complexity, shift focus to health (not healthcare), admit and fix problems, and share knowledge. Join the movement for a healthier nation!

Blip-Zip Takeaways

1. Become a SHELDR: Develop leadership skills to tame the healthcare beast.
2. Shift the focus: Prioritize health promotion and community well-being over healthcare delivery.
3. Embrace collaboration: Share knowledge, learn from each other, and build a better healthcare system.

Key Words and Themes

• Healthcare crisis
• Strategic Health Leaders (SHELDR)
• Leadership development
• Health vs. Healthcare
• National health
• Innovation
• Collaboration
• Knowledge sharing

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Call to Action for Current and Aspiring Strategic Health Leaders

Our nation is facing an unprecedented healthcare crisis along multiple dimensions. Health, not healthcare, must become a national strategic imperative. By most reports, America ranks 37^th in the world for health outcomes. When a sector consumes upward of 20% of the nation’s gross national product, 20% is attributed to waste and inefficiency, and another 20% could have been avoided through better fitness.

It’s time to call a time out! Worse, when a nation loses about 10% of national productivity per year as a result of healthcare issues and the nation spends about twice as much on healthcare than most nations, it’s time to step back and assess the signals and patterns of a seemingly untamable and wicked system—the healthcare system has become unsustainable. It is undermining national security and prosperity. 

As such, America has never had a greater need for robust Strategic Health Leaders (SHELDR), especially at the multi-health system level. The healthcare environment is transforming exponentially—it is more complex, volatile, uncertain, and ambiguous (VUCA)—in some cases for the good, others for not so good. Health care is constantly changing, and the system’s inherent complexity is becoming more apparent.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) stated that the pressing and well-established concerns common to all healthcare sectors impacting quality are rising costs, limited resources,  system inefficiencies, increasing complexity, and an ever-expanding evidence gap. Maybe, just maybe, leadership and the development of SHELDRs is a contributing factor. 

Five Rallying Crys, Not Hugs for Strategic Health Leaders

First, current and future leaders must aspire to create a healthier nation and take an abundant series of actions to make health a national strategic imperative! First, the need for leadership and vital leader development programs is at the heart of any set of solutions. Leaders with the right skills can tame the wicked health system and transform it into one that produces better health, care, and affordability. Fortunately, leadership skills can be taught and learned. Even healthcare executives with years of experience need to refresh or update their skill sets. Anyone working in a management or administrative position in healthcare should be conscientious about their leadership practices.

Second, skills needed—the ability to address complexity, anticipate change, work across organization boundaries, generate creativity and innovation, and employ adaptive thinking, especially at the multi-health system level. Unfortunately, these skills have not been given the appropriate level of attention. Current leadership theories and methods used to develop health leaders have not changed (much). They may be contributing to the current health system’s malaise. Every leader has blind spots.  Most don’t explore, and identify and correct them.

Contemporary leadership theories describe a role rather than a set of behaviors. It places power in the position rather than in relationships.²⁷ Further, they do not address the VUCA-driven nature of the environment and the interconnected world of healthcare.²⁸  This needs to change through asking the right questions, dialogue, assessment, and knowledge sharing.

Third, implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a great start, but it must go further. There is broad recognition that high healthcare expenditures in the United States have not improved outcomes, quality of life, or access to health services. Scientific and technological advances are transforming our understanding of health factors, realizing the nation must shift its focus from healthcare delivery to health by improving community health. Health, not healthcare, must be the focus. Health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.”²⁹

Imagine, if the nation reduced its spending on healthcare by 10-12%, it could pay down the debt, pay for the defense budget, and cover the insured currently receiving subsidies under the ACA. The community’s health is supported by complex overlapping local, state, federal, private, and non-profit health, healthcare, and non-healthcare disciplines organizations and groups. This requires a new breed of leadership.

Through strategic health leadership, the national conversation must transition from “fixing the health insurance industry and medical system” to “collaboration, focus on value-based care, and better health” for the nation. Leading by example and influencing others to take personal responsibility for their health and fitness is vital.

Fourth, national leadership must fully admit (maybe they have?) to the problem and work to fix it. Starting with reflective self-assessment and knowledge sharing is a critical first start. Open, honest, and transparent conversations must be heightened. With outdated linear thinking and medical care system-only solutions, healthcare organizations can no longer manage this rising complexity. They must be a learning organization, and leaders must be quick learners.³⁰

Challenging the status quo with visual and triple-loop learning starts with finding, digesting, connecting, and sharing knowledge without shackles and chains. Anyone who thinks they have a “lock” on the healthcare thought leadership and solutions corner is fooling themselves. It takes a creative team, community, and nation. It’s time to open up, let go, grow, and help others do the same! Knowledge sharing, as well as a central source of knowledge, is paramount. A community-generated movement and systems thinking approach to health policy development toward better health will improve wealth, and health is essential.

Finally, remember, it’s a “flat world” out there where nano-second futuring, strategy, and decision-making are done on the back of napkins or in airport lounges. Today, your laptop, blackberry, and cell phone are the tools of choice in today’s “flat world.”  Wading into the Internet e-Jungle for that “critical piece of information” can be frustrating. 

While the quantity of information is fast becoming a non-issue, knowing where to go, tailoring it to your needs, and assuring timeliness and quality can be. We need to be armed and have access to up-to-date and relevant information. Many professional organizations, consultants, and individuals are working to promote best practices, leadership and management skills, and administrative techniques vital in healthcare organizations. However, many do not know about them. 

Your Challenge

Access to information to generate knowledge for instant ideas, answers, and sources is critical! Being able to learn faster and share it is vital. This includes using artificial intelligence (AI)  and using AI as a personal assistant. I challenge you to share sites of interest, subscription services, reports, and valuable information so seasoned professionals, recent graduates, current students, consultants, and futurists can work to improve their knowledge, be more agile in their thinking, and build on their leadership competencies. It will be a diversified compilation of information to meet needs on the education, experience, research, leadership, and knowledge-sharing spectrum at every point.

We will grow together as SHELDRs! Share it—pay it forward! Decide, commit, and succeed! Send comments, links, and suggestions to [email protected], and I will post them in upcoming articles and posts. Promise.

Summary

The US healthcare system needs to be fixed: inefficient, expensive, and poorly functioning. We need a new group of leaders: SHELDRs. SHELDRs are strategic health leaders who can navigate the complex healthcare system, focusing on health and prevention rather than treatment. They don’t mind swimming upstream. They emphasize the importance of open communication, learning from mistakes, and promoting collaboration among different fields.

The article challenges health and human services professionals to share resources, best practices, and new knowledge to improve the system–professionals with years of experience, newcomers, and everyone in between. The big takeaway? The urgency to address the healthcare crisis in the US and the potential of SHELDRs to make the system more stable and effective is imperative. Everyone in the healthcare industry is encouraged to work together to improve things.

Deep Dive Discussion Questions

1. What specific actions can individuals take to become SHELDRs?
2. How can healthcare organizations effectively collaborate and share knowledge with each other?
3. What specific changes need to be made to current leadership theories and methods for the healthcare sector?
4. Reflect on your own leadership journey. What are your strengths and weaknesses in navigating complex healthcare challenges?
5. How can you develop the skills needed to become a more effective SHELDR?
6. The article calls for a shift in focus from healthcare delivery to health promotion. How can you implement this shift within your own sphere of influence, be it your team, organization, or community?
7. Collaboration is a key tenet of being a SHELDR. How can you foster a culture of knowledge-sharing and open communication within your team or organization?
8. The article mentions the need for “reflective self-assessment.” How can you incorporate this practice into your own leadership development?
9. Imagine you have access to a “central source of knowledge” for healthcare leadership. What information would you find most valuable and how would you use it to improve your impact?

Professional Development and Learning Activities

1. Conduct a self-assessment of your leadership skills using a framework like the Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory
2. Conduct a personal leadership skills assessment using a validated tool like the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 assessment or the Leadership Circle Profile.
3. Participate in a leadership development program specifically designed for healthcare professionals. Look for programs that focus on skills like complexity leadership, change management, and collaboration.
4. Join a professional association or online community for healthcare leaders. This will give you access to a network of peers, mentors, and resources.
5. Shadow a successful healthcare leader to learn from their experience
6. Find a mentor who is a successful SHELDR and learn from their experience.
7. Start a book club or reading group focused on healthcare leadership. Discuss books and articles that challenge your thinking and help you grow as a leader.
8. Conduct a case study analysis of a successful healthcare transformation led by strong leadership. Identify the key elements that contributed to success and how they can be applied in your own context.

References and Resources

1. Leaders go first: creating and sustaining a culture of high performance
2. High-performing healthcare organizations: guidelines for the pursuit of excellence
3. [PDF] Collaborative healthcare leadership: A six-part model for adapting and thriving during a time of transformative change
4. [PDF] The roles of leaders in high-performing health care systems
5. Strategic leadership in healthcare: the role of collective change agents in closing the gap of healthcare disparities

Remember, the key is to choose resources that align with your specific interests and development needs. Don’t hesitate to explore beyond this list and discover new knowledge that will propel you forward as a SHELDR!

Citations

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About the Author

I am passionate about making health a national strategic imperative, transforming and integrating health and human services sectors to be more responsive, and leveraging the social drivers and determinants of health (SDOH) to create healthier, wealthier, and more resilient individuals, families, and communities. I specialize in coaching managers and leaders on initial development, continuously improving, or sustaining their Strategic Health Leadership (SHELDR) competencies to thrive in an era to solve wicked health problems and artificial intelligence (AI).

Visit https://SHELDR.COM or contact me for more BLIP-ZIP SHELDR advice, coaching, and consulting. Check out my publications: Health Systems Thinking:  A Primer and Systems Thinking for Health Organizations, Leadership, and Policy: Think Globally, Act Locally. You can follow his thoughts on LinkedIn and X Twitter: @Doug_Anderson57 and Flipboard E-Mag: Strategic Health Leadership (SHELDR)

Disclosure and Disclaimer:  Douglas E. Anderson has no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.  The author’s opinions are his own and do not represent an official position of any organization including those he consulted.  Any publications, commercial products, or services mentioned in his publications are for recommendations only and do not indicate an endorsement. All non-disclosure agreements (NDA) apply.

References: All references or citations will be provided upon request.  Not responsible for broken or outdated links, however, report broken links to [email protected]

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