American College of Healthcare Executives

16/07/2025

💡 How you show up for work determines how your colleagues and team members perceive you.

Becoming a COO requires significant practical experience and power skills, including attributes such as a growth mindset, a transformational leadership style, practical multimodal communication skills, an ability to cultivate followership and demonstrated intellectual curiosity, which can sharply differentiate a COO from the rest of the field.

The most effective COOs demonstrate expertise in many wide-ranging competencies. Some examples include:

HARD SKILLS
🔹Stakeholder engagement
🔹Capital and expense management
🔹Quality improvement programs
🔹Technology adoption and innovation

SOFT SKILLS
🔹Listen carefully during a tense one-on-one meeting rather than interrupting.
🔹Praise employees after noticing their effort and improvement.
🔹Set a steady example with composure during a crisis.
🔹Be aware when a colleague is overwhelmed, and offer support and goodwill.
🔹Use professional body language when exposed to adverse interpretations and misinformation.

GRIT
🔹There will be times when the COO fails in the short term. Despite such setbacks, COOs must be resilient, leave the safe confines of their executive offices and accept the gifts of being scrutinized and judged.
🔹The COO must reevaluate or pivot in their approach to a problem only after visiting and conversing with managers and front-line staff. Being visible and accessible require time and energy. This type of grit separates effective leaders from mediocre leaders.

Finally, remember your purpose—your why—and carry it with you. Employees and patients are your essential and most vulnerable stakeholders.

Read the full article by Kofi A. Cash, DSc, FACHE, in the July/August Healthcare Executive Magazine.

15/07/2025

♻️ The Future of Healthcare Starts with the Consumer Triple Aim ♻️

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim—improving patient experience, population health, and reducing per capita cost—is a cornerstone of healthcare transformation.

But what happens when we see it through the eyes of consumers?

It’s time to speak the language of consumers and build a system that reflects their needs, goals and values.

In the extensively updated Patient No Longer: How YOU Can Lead the Consumer Revolution in Healthcare, Ryan Donohue and Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, reimagine the Triple Aim to reflect what matters most to today’s healthcare consumers: ACCESS, ENGAGEMENT, and VALUE.

Patient No Longer is now available on ACHE Activate, the digital library for today’s healthcare leaders.

Learn more and get your copy here: https://bit.ly/4kwg1di

14/07/2025

🎙️ New podcast episode 🎙️

Tune in as Matt Heywood, president & CEO of Aspirus Health, shares how healthcare leaders can build resilience in times of change. From strategy to culture, hear what it takes to lead through uncertainty and drive meaningful impact.

Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/463g8cQ

11/07/2025

🚨 New resource drop for healthcare leaders 🚨

Introducing the ACHE Fundamentals Learning Library, your new resource to build confident, capable healthcare leaders.

This curated collection of 110 expert-led, on-demand courses covers the 10 core competencies every healthcare leader should know, including finance, quality, leadership and more.

Whether you're onboarding new managers or supporting the growth of experienced leaders, this library offers:

✅ Flexible access: self-paced, mobile-friendly learning
✅ Comprehensive content: built by and for healthcare leaders
✅ Seamless integration: ready-to-use, off-the-shelf programming
✅ Customization: add your own branding or content

Explore how this all-in-one learning solution can support your organization’s professional development goals here: https://bit.ly/403KjwO

09/07/2025

🔊 Clinician burnout isn't just a workforce issue, it's a patient care issue.

In this conversation, Fayola Edwards-Ojeba, MD, and Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, share real-world strategies for prioritizing clinician well-being, even when budgets are tight.

Because supporting your teams is essential for delivering safe, high-quality care.

▶️ Listen to the full Healthcare Executive podcast today, wherever you get podcasts.

08/07/2025

💡 Today’s uncertainty combined with healthcare’s already complex nature is challenging us at a pace not before seen.

Geopolitical shifts, cybersecurity risks and rapid breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and other innovative tools, among other things, mix with our ongoing focus on patient care, workforce support, business needs and balancing stakeholder interests to test us in new and unexpected ways.

With all that is on our plates, standing on solid ethical ground is more critical than ever to ensure we account for the myriad interests and people impacted by our decisions.

For example, the multitude of choices we face regarding AI requires more vigilance in ethical frameworks that account for equitable access, data privacy and responsible innovation while gaining the full promise of its power for the benefit of others. In many ways and on numerous fronts, we are charting new territory for the organizations we lead and the profession as a whole.

While we cannot control all the conditions that surround us, ACHE’s Code of Ethics has served a helpful role for many. Since 1933, ACHE’s commitment to a relevant Code has been the hallmark of our profession. It offers guidance, grounds us in our values and reminds us of the important responsibility we carry, regardless of the circumstances, to the patients, workforce and communities we serve.

Along with the Code, ACHE also offers other ethics resources to help you navigate the sometimes thorny issues that today’s challenges raise. All are available at ache.org/Ethics.

Read the full article from Deborah Bowen, FACHE, CAE, in the July/August edition of Healthcare Executive magazine.

07/07/2025

☑️ LinkedIn is a powerful tool for building and maintaining your professional brand. Here’s how to make the most of the time you spend here.

P.S. For more expert tips, visit the Career Resource Center at ache.org!

04/07/2025

ACHE wishes you a safe and happy Independence Day. 🎆

Today, we celebrate the freedom and liberty of our nation and reflect on all that has been achieved. May this holiday be safe and joyful for you all.

02/07/2025

👥 Workforce challenges remain one of the most pressing priorities for today’s healthcare leaders.

Join the Head of Account Management and Director of Federal Government Accounts of Sanofi, an ACHE Premier Corporate Partner, for an interactive session packed with real-world strategies.

They’ll share how to:

➡️ Build trust-centered cultures.

➡️ Communicate in ways that empower staff and streamline operations.

➡️ Develop mission statements that align teams and inspire accountability.

This session is designed to offer practical solutions healthcare leaders can apply immediately to boost team performance and tackle workforce challenges head-on.

Learn more and join here: https://bit.ly/4674fCP

In today's healthcare environment, workforce challenges remain a critical priority for leaders. Join the head of Account Management and Strategic Accounts and the director of Federal Government Accounts for an interactive session drawing on their extens...

01/07/2025

☑️ ACHE is your greatest professional ally.

Connect with fellow healthcare leaders, access education and seize opportunities to impact your community. ACHE is your ally to support your journey towards excellence in healthcare leadership.

Consider joining the mission and becoming an ACHE member today.

30/06/2025

📉 Uncertainty is the new normal in healthcare leadership—driven by policy shifts, financial pressures and evolving patient needs.

Navigating these complex and often ambiguous environments requires more than operational expertise. It demands adaptive leadership, strategic communication and a deep understanding of change dynamics.

Join Luming Li, MD, FACHE, FAPA, to explore how healthcare leaders at all levels can effectively guide their teams and organizations through periods of disruption and rapid-paced change.

Learn more and register here: https://bit.ly/4lkowJe

In a time of rapid policy shifts, financial pressures, and evolving patient needs, uncertainty has become a common operating state in healthcare leadership. Navigating these complex and often ambiguous environments requires more than operational experti...

25/06/2025

✅ Nurses are the backbone of patient care, yet many are experiencing unprecedented levels of burnout.

This issue affects not only their well-being but also patient outcomes, staff retention and organizational efficiency. It is imperative to acknowledge this issue, work toward understanding the causes of nursing burnout and effectively implement strategies to address it.

➡️ Evaluate Staffing Levels - Assessing and adjusting staffing levels can significantly alleviate burnout.

➡️ Promote a Supportive Work Environment - Encouraging open communication, offering mental health resources and providing peer support can help nurses feel more supported.

➡️ Implement Flexible Scheduling - Flexible scheduling allows nurses to manage personal commitments and reduces the stress of juggling professional responsibilities with family and personal needs.

➡️ Invest in Professional Development - Programs that promote nurses to grow professionally and personally can enhance their engagement and reduce the likelihood of burnout.

Addressing nursing burnout remains a critical priority as the healthcare landscape evolves, and executives must recognize that their nurses’ well-being directly influences patient outcomes and organizational success. Leaders who act on this now are not just investing in their staff, they are investing in the future of patient care.

After all, a happy, healthy nursing staff lays the foundation for a thriving healthcare organization.

*Special thank you for the insights from April LaFontaine, DHA, FACHE, CPC.