Come meet some of your fellow ELF members!

There are four essential ingredients to ELF’s Summer Social:

1. Patio weather
2. Drinks
3. Food
4. Emerging healthcare leaders!

Over the past year ELF has held several successful events.  There was the Guided Leadership Session in January where members had the chance to speak candidly with Dr. Matthew Morgan, Dr. Catherine Zahn, Ken Deane and Richard Alvarez about leadership, mentorship and career development; the Speakers Series events with Michael Kirby and Matt Anderson; and a Development Seminar on strategic thinking with Dr. Michael Guerriere.   Come help us celebrate 2008/09 and plan for 2009/10.

EVENT: ELF Summer Social
DATE & TIME: August 14, 2009, 5:30 – 7:30pm
LOCATION: Empire Grill & Lounge, 50 Cumberland Street, www.empiretoronto.com

Please RSVP to attend!

Committee Member Recruitment

ELF is continuing to grow, learn and expand in 2009/10!  We wish to expand on the successful launch of ELF’s four pillars this past year.

Last August we welcomed three new members to the ELF Committee to lead the Speaker Series, Guided Leadership Sessions and Development Seminars.  This year we are recruiting for two positions:

1. Development Seminar Lead – Beth Dewitt has done an exceptional job this year, but will be on maternity leave next year.  We are looking for a passionate and driven ELF member to fill her shoes.
2. Think Tank Lead – Next year we are hoping to establish a Think Tank, consisting of a small group of ELF members, that will meet regularly to discuss selected topics of interest in healthcare.  The output of the Think Tank could potentially be a whitepaper suitable for publication!

Application Process

All ELF members are welcome to apply. Click to download the application form that provides more information about the roles available and the time commitment required. If you are interested in joining the ELF Committee, fill out the application form and email it to ELF@emergingleaderforum.com by Friday, July 31, 2009.

The applications will be reviewed by the Committee, and a short list of applicants will be asked to participate in a brief teleconference to finalize members by Friday, August 7, 2009.

The new Committee members will be introduced at the ELF Summer Social!

LEADERS SCHOLARSHIPS: New for Summer 2009

In the spirit of continued learning and ongoing career development for ELF members, the ELF Committee is introducing its Leaders Scholarship Program.  This summer, the ELF committee will award two ‘scholarships’ valued at $450 each, to a one-day workshop focused on the development of leadership skills. Successful applicants may subscribe to one of the below listed workshops or suggest a workshop to the committee that is better suited to their learning objectives.

Some examples of available workshop topics include:

• Habits of Highly Effective People
• How to Achieve Organizational Greatness Through Knowledge Leadership
• How to Achieve Your Highest Priorities

All ELF members are welcome to apply.

Application Process:

If you are interested in applying for the ELF Leaders Scholarship, please fill out the application form and email it to elf@emergingleaderforum.com by Friday, July 31, 2009.

The applications will be reviewed by the Committee, and the winners of the scholarships will be announced at the ELF Summer Social on Friday, August 14, 2009.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this process, please email the ELF Committee at elf@emergingleaderforum.com.

What makes a good strategy?

This is the fundamental question that Dr. Michael Guerriere dissected with 25 emerging leaders on the evening of Thursday, June 4th, 2009.  ‘Strategic thinking’ is a skill that is difficult to develop by reading a book.  Demand for the seminar was high; learning from the experience of seasoned healthcare strategist is a rare opportunity for young professionals in this industry.

It makes intuitive sense that the first step to deciding on a strategy would be to outline all potential options and assess the merit of each. Yet, Dr. Guerriere remarked how surprisingly common it is for leaders to skip this step and choose a ‘good enough’ option.

Many strategies may lead you to the desired outcome.  That doesn’t necessarily mean they are all good strategies. There are various factors that should be considered when assessing the merit of a strategy:

• Uncertainty – There is an element of luck and unpredictability to every strategy.  This is a result of uncontrollable environmental factors.  However, some strategies have a greater probability of success.   Purchasing a lottery ticket may not be the best strategy for gaining a million dollars!
• The ability to execute – A brilliant strategy is worthless if the people in the organization are incapable of executing it.
• Self-sustainability – The best strategies are those that are self-perpetuating.  Once the strategy is put into motion, the cascade of subsequent events helps to propagate the desired outcome.   The Wal-Mart strategy is a great example; the more Wal-Mart stores that are opened, the greater the pressure on weak competitors and the eventual closure of competing stores.  The Wait Time Strategy in Ontario is also an excellent example of a self-sustaining strategy.  By starting with five high-volume service areas, linking funding to results, and reporting the results to the public, the strategy developed momentum.  Soon other service areas demanded to be included.
• Simplicity and clarity – Complicated strategies risk being misinterpreted.  When a strategy is simple and clear, the ability to execute it is enhanced.
• Direction of action – The purpose of a strategy is to direct action.  It delineates between acceptable and unacceptable courses of action.  Without this specificity, the likelihood of individuals taking on activities that are not aligned with the strategy is high. The General Electric strategy defined by Jack Welsh dictates that each business within the GE conglomerate must be one of the top three companies in the respective industry.  This clearly directs the company’s decisions to sell or maintain businesses within the GE portfolio.

In most industries, a company’s strategy is vital to its ability to survive. Market forces dictate the success of a strategy. Similar to Darwin’s theory of evolution, advancements in each industry are dependent on the dissolution of companies with weak strategies and the propagation of those that leverage innovation.

Is an organization’s strategy vital in healthcare?

It seems that healthcare organizations continue to exist regardless of the strength of their strategies. Why is that? In healthcare there is little true competition, thus the process of ‘creative destruction’ that is present in most other industries is inhibited. Many leaders have theorized that the introduction of market forces in healthcare would help to drive competition, and thus innovation and efficiency in the industry. However, there are a few fundamental characteristics of healthcare that prohibit it from functioning like most other market driven industries:

1. Healthcare lacks informed consumers

The direction of market forces are dictated by the choices of consumers. Healthcare services are far more complex than the commodities offered to consumers in other industries.  As a result, it is extremely difficult for the public to make informed choices.

2. Healthcare is heavily regulated

To balance the public’s inability to choose ‘correctly’ amongst the healthcare services provided, systems are heavily regulated. Regulation also helps to balance the tendency towards activity. In healthcare, more activity is usually regarded as better by patients.

Within a heavily regulated environment it is very difficult for an organization to truly fail.  When is the last time you heard about a hospital going out of business?  When was the last time you heard about the government rescuing a hospital financially? Herein lays the answer to the question regarding the importance of a healthcare organization’s strategy to its existence. In healthcare, the viability of an organization is not nearly as dependent on its strategy as in other industries. However, the strategy of a healthcare organization has other valuable purposes. It helps to define the culture of an organization, it sends a message to the public and it instills confidence in the staff and governors.

Closing Quote :: Sir Winston Churchill reminds us:

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

For a copy of this meeting summary, click here to download the pdf file.

Matt Anderson wants to CHANGE THE WORLD.

That’s why he took the job as the CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (TC LHIN).  On the evening of Wednesday, May 27, 2009, Matt engaged in a conversation with over 50 of Ontario’s emerging healthcare leaders, in the scholarly surroundings of the Arts & Letters Club on Elm Street in Toronto. ELF members represented a cross section of the healthcare system, and included individuals from St. Mike’s Hospital, UHN, West Park Health Care Centre, Infoway, Accenture, University of Toronto, GE, Mainstay Housing, Cancer Care Ontario, and many other organizations.

Matt provided some insights from his experiences as a LHIN CEO:

• The LHINs haven’t done a whole lot yet; they are still relatively new compared to Alberta’s former RHAs which were established in 1992.
• There are over 200 funded agencies within TC LHIN.  Our healthcare system focuses acute hospitals, but there are so many other impactful organizations in
  the GTA, such as Progress Place and South Riverdale Community Health Centre.  These organizations require innovative funding models.
• Ensuring the LHIN is aligned with provincial strategies is key for building political support and obtaining funding.
• There are only 30 staff members within TC LHIN; 15 are dedicated to funding processes, leaving only 15 to affect change. The team is small. The use of data
  to pinpoint problem performance areas is critical to the team’s success.
• LHINs = PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.  Indicators must be mapped to specific organization in order to enable change.
• The LHIN has significant legislative powers, yet has no effecter arm.  For LHINs to be effective, they need to have the authority and ability to make changes, in addition to having the accountability and responsibility to do so.

For more about the night’s events, view our full meeting summary.

Thank you to those members who were able to attend.  We would love to hear your thoughts about the event — please take 2 minutes to complete the survey to help us make the next Speaker Series better!

We look forward to seeing you at our next event!

ELF is excited to announce the second Development Seminar with Dr. Michael Guerriere.  Join us for an evening to discuss what it means to think strategically and what a leader’s role is in strategy development.

WHAT:  Thinking Strategically with Dr. Michael Guerriere

WHEN:  Thursday, June 4, 2009

Attendance is limited to the first 20 ELF members to sign up.  Registration has been closed.  However, e-mail us at elf@emergingleaderforum.com if you would like ELF to hold another Strategy session.  If there is enough interest, we will attempt to schedule another session with Dr. Guerriere for the other ELF members.  Individuals who have emailed us to express their interest will have priority to participate in the future session!

If you’re not an ELF member already, e-mail us at elf@emergingleaderforum.com to sign up to our mailing list for the latest news about upcoming ELF events.

Please join us for our tenth Emerging Leader Forum Speaker Series on Wednesday, May 27, 2009, as Matthew Anderson, CEO, Toronto Central LHIN, speaks candidly about his experiences with leadership in healthcare.

Date & Time:
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009; 5:30 – 7:30pm

Location:
The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto (Great Hall), 14 Elm St, Toronto

Guest Speaker:
Matthew Anderson, CEO, Toronto Central LHIN

Matthew Anderson, a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award, has travelled up through the ranks of various management and executive positions to his current role as CEO of Toronto Central LHIN.  In his previous role as CIO of University Health Network, Matthew contributed significantly to many of Ontario’s key eHealth accomplishments. Matthew is renowned for his achievements and continues to be recognized as an exceptional leader.

To RSVP to this event, please complete the registration form linked here.

Please refer to the meeting details PDF for further information, and help us spread the word about the event to anyone who might be interested.

We look forward to seeing you on the 27th!

On January 21st, 2009, 25 ELF members spent the evening sipping wine, eating hors d’oeuvres and getting “straight talk” from four senior Canadian healthcare leaders (from left to right in the picture above):

• Ken Deane, ADM, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
• Catherine Zahn, Executive VP, Clinical Programs and Practices, UHN
• Richard Alvarez, President & CEO, Canada Health Infoway
• Matthew Morgan, Partner, Courtyard Group

The night was filled with passionate discussion about a wide range of topics, ranging from career advice to ideas on how to change the healthcare system.   Click here to read a recap of the Inaugural Guided Leadership Session.

Here are some action shots of the night’s activities:

Mr. Alvarez with ELF members

Mr. Deane with ELF members

Dr. Morgan with ELF members

Dr. Zahn with ELF members

What were your thoughts on the inaugural Guided Leadership Session?  How can we improve the event?

In the New Year, ELF will be hosting its inaugural Guided Leadership Session. The focus of the Guided Leadership Sessions is to offer our members a more personalized mentoring opportunity by engaging directly with established healthcare leaders in an informal setting. During this event, small groups of ELF members will have the opportunity to sip wine, munch on hors d’oeuvres and speak candidly with some of today’s prominent healthcare leaders. Some topics for discussion include:

• How to brand yourself
• How to create your best team
• Leading start-ups vs. large organizations

Event Details:

Date:          Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Time:         5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location:  Downtown Toronto

To maintain the small, interactive dynamic of the event, the first 25 people who RSVP will be registered!  Formal invitations and RSVP information will be emailed to our members in January 2009.  If you’re not an ELF member, email us at elf@emergingleaderforum.com to join our mailing list now!

ELF is excited to announce the launch of two additional streams of leadership learning opportunities: the Development Seminars; and, the Guided Leadership Sessions.  The Development Seminars are geared toward enhancing the leadership qualities of ELF members by providing structured seminar events focusing on skills development and professional qualifications.  The Guided Leadership Sessions will provide ELF members an opportunity to learn about specific leadership qualities from leaders themselves and to ask direct and engaging questions about what it means to be a leader.

We have prepared this short survey to help ELF better meet your leadership interests through each of these new streams.  Thanks in advance for your feedback!