Although healthcare leaders must often focus externally—on patients, staff, facility, business, industry, policy, and community—periodically, it can be beneficial to shift internally for a personal career assessment. With the rapid pace of day-to-day operations, it may seem challenging to find the time to turn inward. However, it can be worthwhile to sit back for a moment, assess one’s career path, and determine how to synergistically a) deliver safe, high-quality patient care, b) advance the vision and values of the organization, and c) carefully craft a successful healthcare leadership career.
Evaluating a Healthcare Leadership Career
To assess career direction, healthcare leaders can consider questions such as:
- How do I define and measure success in a healthcare leadership career?
- Am I thoughtfully cultivating my own healthcare executive career path?
- What can I contribute to my organization, field, and community that will also add value to my resume and my expertise?
- By what means—methods, materials, venues, opportunities—can I deliver value to the healthcare leadership field, my organization, and my career?
- How can I generate ideas for thought leadership that align with my organization and my direction?
- Where am I headed next? How will I get there?
Means for Cultivating a Healthcare Leadership Career
Most of what ends up on a resume occurs organically over time. However, emerging healthcare leaders and seasoned executives who want to strengthen their contributions and resumes can strategically pursue opportunities through various means.
- Presentations at conferences, meetings, town halls
- Television interviews with local news outlets, national news organizations
- Podcast interviews designed for healthcare leaders or providers
- Publications including white papers, journal articles, blog posts, trade magazine interviews
- Social media contributions through Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
- Positions on boards, committees, professional organizations, and community organizations
- Volunteer efforts within the field of healthcare and healthcare leadership
- Mentorship of other healthcare leaders or interns
- Development of partnerships and strategic alliances with other organizations
- Policy efforts to improve the field
- Internal company initiatives to advance ethics, equity, and work atmosphere
- Academic teaching or continuing education contributions
- Leadership accolades and awards
Ensuring Contributions Align Internally and Externally
To be strategic about expending time, resources, and energy on thought leadership and other contributions to the field, healthcare leaders can take a few quick steps. This will ensure that the best interests of patients, staff, facility, business, and the community are at the forefront while enriching healthcare leadership career goals.
- Generate a list of issues affecting patients, staff, facility, business, field, other healthcare leaders, community, policy, etc.
- Compare this list against organization’s vision, values, mission, and direction.
- Identify topics that align with both external focus and internal healthcare leadership career goals.
- Draw on personal expertise and collaborate with colleagues, peers, employees, patients, etc. to generate novel content.
- Compile a list of possible means or venues for delivering or implementing the ideas.
- Narrow down these outlets and reach out to propose the project.
- Once completed, document the event, add it to the resume, and update healthcare executive recruiter.
With a bit of forethought and some targeted energy, a rich, unique, and impressive career path will emerge—one that will benefit not only the executive but also the community.
Connect with Cejka Search to see how we help leaders cultivate their careers.
