COVER STORY
Lead by Example
Transform your organization by transforming yourself BY ROBERT KURTZ
W
hen an administrator is also a strong leader, the effects can be
felt throughout an ASC, says Morgan Hembree, leadership consultant with Integrated Leadership Systems, a pro- vider of executive coaching, consulting and training based in Westerville, Ohio. “Administrators need to set the exam- ple for the people who are reporting to and working with them,” she says. “When administrators are strong leaders, their strength trickles down to other people in the organization and in areas including culture, vision, values and goal setting. Strong administrative leadership helps get everyone on the same page and working toward the same objectives.” Neal Maerki, RN, CASC, adminis- trator of Bend Surgery Center, a multi- specialty ASC in Bend, Oregon, says that administrator leadership sets the tone for the entire ASC and the physician group. “If you do not have that strong lead- ership, it is like having a boat without
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a rudder,” he says. “Since physicians often lead as a group through a gov- erning committee, they rely heavily on a strong administrator to provide them with direction and input as to how things are going in the ASC.” To become a strong leader—one
who can bring about substantial and sus- tained improvements to the ASC—often requires an administrator to go through a transformation process, Hembree says. “If leaders work on themselves, they are going to be happier with the work they are doing, and that is where the trickle down process starts,” she says. “When that happens, the quality of the care the organization is going to be able to provide is going to be impacted.”
Determine Goals Hembree says the goals for transfor- mation will vary from person to person based on a number of factors, includ- ing personality and professional expe-
rience, but an essential first step for an administrator to take toward making a positive transformation is setting aside time for self-reflection. “In the beginning, it is important
to make time to think and define your vision,” she says. “Just like an organi- zation can have a vision, an individual should have a vision. Where do you want to see yourself down the road? Where do you want to lead your organization?” Brandy Frost, RN, center director for
Northeast Surgery Center in Newing- ton, New Hampshire, was a nurse at the ASC for eight years before she took over as center director in July 2014 following the departure of the previous director. She says she viewed the opportunity to fill the position as a way to transform herself. “I always anticipated just staying in the operating room,” Frost says, “but when our director left, I stepped into the role for what was supposed to be an interim basis until we recruited a new director. Even in a temporary position, I still began to go through a transforma- tion. It was a matter of stepping out of
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