When a nationally esteemed academic medical center decides to initiate a $1 billion expansion, its leaders must rise to the challenge to go far beyond the status quo. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) is a multidisciplinary academic medical center located in Columbus, Ohio, on the main campus of the Ohio State University (OSU).
Considered one of the finest and best hospitals in the United States, it’s been ranked as one of “America’s Best” by U.S. News & World Report in 11 specialties. OSUWMC was the only central Ohio hospital ranked as “America’s Best” in 2010. The organization experienced significant growth within the past 10 years, requiring its leaders to exhibit both increased strategic and interpersonal shrewdness. OSUWMC is a 971-bed general medical and surgical facility with over 45,000 admissions in the most recent year reported, according to U.S. News & World Report. OSUWMC is a teaching hospital. It is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). In September 2009, the Ohio State University trustees approved a $1 billion expansion of The OSUWMC. When completed, the 20-story tower will house hospital beds dedicated to cancer and critical care patients.
The human resources leaders saw the need to provide leadership coaching to the senior leadership team as part of its executive development strategy. Many leaders within OSUWMC had “grown‐up” in the organization and lacked the leadership skills needed for their complex roles and matrix‐style reporting relationships.
OSUWMC reached out to Connect the Dots (CTD) to become a strategic partner and help get their leaders on track so they could achieve the organization’s ambitious goals.
CTD provided leadership coaching using its on-target® coaching solution to administrative staff, clinical leaders and their teams within the medical center. The AVP of a large administrative function requested CTD to coach one of his key leaders, who was struggling with internal customers.
In addition, this leader’s team was not aligned with the internal groups that it was responsible for supporting. After identifying key objectives and gathering stakeholder input, CTD developed a plan for each leader, as well as the team, to address the issues identified and achieve the stated objectives.
Through the individual and team coaching sessions, the leader and his team developed a clear view of how to be successful with their internal customers and the steps needed to be more effective. They also learned which behaviors they needed to stop so they could choose better alternatives that allowed the team to achieve their goals. With on-target®, both the leader of the team and each leader who received the coaching were able to see measurable progress using CTDs’ tools and reporting methods.
Although the team had been through development activities previously, Connect the Dots focused on awareness of the current state and developed practical action steps that sharpened their focus. This approach leveraged the team’s strengths, drew on team members to address needs, and allowed the team members to hold one another accountable for behavioral changes.
The OSUWMC leadership is now equipped to take on bigger challenges and help the medical center continue to reach new benchmarks in their field.
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