Leadership in Laboratory Medicine

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Insight Conference

• Leadership in Laboratory Medicine
• Purpose is understand the difference that
  leadership, decision making and entrepreneurship
  can have on the outcomes for laboratories.
• Learning Objectives
• Examples of lab strategies that have broken the
  barriers?
• What are Barriers that prohibit leaders from
  leading and managers from managing?
• What are the key attributes skills of leaders?
• What are the key attributes of managers?
• What strategies can be used to nullify the
  immobility?

Kris Bailey MLT, BA, Executive MBA Managing
Director Principal Consultant AiCon
Inc. Kris.a.bailey_at_rogers.com
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Why ?

• Leadership, decision making and entrepreneurship
  why does it matter??
• Balance the demands of today
• Create talent multipliers
• Amplify peoples contributions
• Apply technology strategically rather than for
  incremental productivity gains
• Focus on a few but diverse activities that are
  key to success
• Continuously renew an organizations vitality

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What do you think ?

• What attributes are required to lead in an
  evolving, complex, multi-party system?
• What attributes are required to manage in an
  evolving, complex, multi-party system?

4
What do you think ?

• What barriers are in place which prevent us from
  leading managing are they real (R) or
  perceived (P)?
• What strategies need to be in place to blast
  the barriers?

5
Insight Conference

• Leadership in Laboratory Medicine
• Purpose is understand the difference that
  leadership, decision making and entrepreneurship
  can have on the outcomes for laboratories.
• Learning Objectives
• Examples of lab strategies that have broken the
  barriers?
• What are Barriers that prohibit leaders from
  leading and managers from managing?
• What are the key attributes skills of leaders?
• What are the key attributes of managers?
• What strategies can be used to nullify the
  immobility?

Kris Bailey MLT, BA, Executive MBA Managing
Director Principal Consultant AiCon
Inc. Kris.a.bailey_at_rogers.com
6
Notations

• The test of a first rate leader is the ability
  to hold 2-opposing ideas in mind, at the same
  time while retaining the ability to function (F.
  Scott Fitzgerald)
• We found that creating and building a visionary
  company absolutely does not require either a
  great idea or a great and charismatic leader. In
  fact, we found evidence that great ideas brought
  forth by charismatic leaders might be negatively
  correlated with building a visionary company
  (Built to Last)
• Never, never, never give upbut what to persist
  with? Be prepared to kill, revise or evolve an
  idea but never give up on the company (GE)

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Great Labs 1

• To partner with those who benefit from our
  expertise AND we can benefit from theirs
• Microbiology Genetics swap (OP lab academic
  center)
• Outcomes
• Seen by the market as leaders in their fields
• Built volume and economies of scale
• Utilized technologies to create capacity,
  standardize processes and customize reports
• Improved performance and reduced staff turnover
• Reduced overall cost

8
Great Labs 2

• To build a facility where our staff will be
  proud, where we will utilize technologies
  effectively AND where we can exploit specific
  market opportunities.
• OP lab designed by Process
• Outcomes
• Utilized automation
• Won Architectural design of Merit
• Accredited 6-Sigma ISO
• Built volume and economies of scale
• Created capacity building volume
• Increased performance and reduced staff turnover
• Reduced overall cost

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Great Labs 3

• To utilize technology to the fullest.
• OP lab consolidates all order entry AND testing
  under 1-roof
• Outcomes
• Utilize off the shelf manufacturing automation
  Cheaply!
• Highly developed middleware systems and
  algorithms that produce custom solutions /
  reports for their clients
• Implemented biometric signatures for distance
  interpretation and sign-out all Pathologists
  work from home / office, when needed
• Implemented automated digital cell morphology and
  informatics system for classification /
  characterization of cells using an Web-based
  Artificial Neural Network cells can be reviewed
  from anywhere, by anyone at anytime
• Continue to build volume and economies of scale
• Continue to create capacity AND build volume
• Low overall cost / test

10
Great Labs 4

• To ensure all Cancer patients treated and
  sent-home each day (note 90 of cancer
  patients travel for treatment).
• Academic centre -- specimen collection kiosk at
  the hotel
• Outcomes
• All patients, who travel, have their blood work
  collected evening before treatment
• 100 of all patients having treatments today,
  have their treatments and go home
• 0 of patients who require treatments today do
  NOT have to stay an additional day

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Great Labs 5

• To create a system of laboratory products and
  services that can co-exist in a centralized and
  decentralized environment, meeting the needs of
  key stakeholders.
• Group of community hospitals
• Outcomes
• Devolved site autonomy to the site staff
• Consolidated esoteric and functional programs
  pooling of expertise
• Retained programs / services locally based on
  clinical programs
• Standardized across the groups (instruments /
  processes)
• Partnered with a courier company
• Patient took several years to achieve the goal
• Lowered overall cost / test

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Barriers

• Tyranny of the OR -- it must be A or B but not
  both
• Retain balance / strive for orthodoxy
  Mediocrity
• Defenders of the status quo Unrelenting refusal
  to change
• Elephants in the room Constant resistance and
  never deal with touchy subjects
• Attrition is a fact of life Turnover is
  preventable
• Toxic workplaces joyless, in-fighting, power
  struggles, rules, prison way interactions
  occur Disenfranchised staff

13
Barriers

• Leader led decisions no participation or worse
  yet -- working groups with pre-decided outcomes
• Over managed and under-led
• The Great Idea no matter what
• Singular focus on cost
• Profitability does not rule but is recognized
  as a necessary condition for existence and a
  means to more important ends

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The Leaders Attributes

• Be
• Authentic (REAL DEAL!)
• A champion of change
• A cross-cultural chameleon
• Persistent
• A Magnet attract the right people
• Confident
• Want to overcome obstacles
• Guide the organization through crucial episodes
• Never be afraid
• Retain perspective
• Leaders solidify the vision and the plan,
  communicate to stakeholders, inspire and
  influence thinking, cement changes in
  organizational culture and continually challenge
  the organization to be successful

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The Leaders Skills

• Core ideology purpose are fundamental
• Clear, compelling BHAGs (Get the juices
  flowing!!)
• Genius of the AND!!
• Organizational visionary
• Architect or Clock Builder
• Inspire, Stimulate and Guide
• Informed, ethical decision making

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The Leaders Skills
Just Do It!
Rewards
Structure
Competencies
Products / Services
Strategies
Guiding Principles
Bhags , Goals
Core Values, Core Beliefs
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How to get to Innovation?

• Innovation is mostly about combining existing
  ideas in new ways and finding new uses for
  existing technologies.
• Working Assumptions
• Everyone has wisdom.
• Everyone's wisdom builds the wisest results.
• There are no wrong answers.
• The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
• Everyone will hear and be heard.
• Vision without action is a daydream.
• Action without vision is a nightmare.
• Change occurs as a result of inspiration or
  desperation.
• To do nothing is every mans power.

• Current State

Client Feedback
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Leaders Entrepreneurs
Project Managers
Just Do It!
E
Rewards
Structure
Managers
Competencies
Products / Services
Strategies
Guiding Principles
E
Leaders
Bhags , Goals
E
EGenius of the AND
Core Values, Core Beliefs
EClock Builder
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Blasting the Barriers

• Core Values and ideology come before goals,
  guiding principles and strategies Always
  preserve the Core AND stimulate progress!
• There is a dynamic interplay between Core
  Ideology and the drive for progress Be highly
  ideological AND highly progressive
• Do not confuse core ideology with culture,
  strategies, tactics or policies -- Over time,
  cultural norms MUST change as will goals,
  strategies, competencies, structure and rewards
• Create demand side innovation how an
  organization engages its customer interactions
  and relationships
• If it is in the stakeholders best interests
• changing ones mind does not signal an inability
• to lead rather, it signals an ability to learn
  
• demonstrates the ability to recast an issue
• Study other businesses for example technology
  applications transcend industries

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Blasting the Barriers

• Utilize technology to the fullest -- innovation
  is created through application and process
• Encourage real and fierce discussion, dissent,
  disagreement --Conversation creates the energy
  to sustain the vision
• Burnout and stagnation people are living longer,
  workers have longer work-lives provide them
  with the time to renew energy and new passions
• Broad education educates beyond the sciences
• Risk assessment and trade-offs are a Social
  Endeavour involve a broad community of
  stakeholders and experts

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Leadership Behavior

• Executive behavior modeling
• What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what
  you are saying
• We stand for what we tolerate
• Never assume that everyone automatically knows
  what is most important
• Seize the future
• Leaders are
• Clear about who they are (Core Ideology)
• What they are about (Core Values)
• What they are trying to achieve (B HAGS, Goals)
  and
• Then they do it! (Strategies, Competencies,
  Structure Rewards)
• There is not much room for people unwilling or
  unsuited to their demanding standards.

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Operations Management

• Management attributesparticularly
• Management focuses on excellence in the delivery
  of day-to-day operations using objectives,
  actions, procedures, programs, data, milestones
  and discipline
• Recognizing that
• Operations plays a dual role in providing
  expertise to a project and implementing a project
• Operations is often caught between today and
  tomorrow
• Operations executes the plan

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Project Management

• Project Management attributesparticularly
• A successful project manager is one who
  intuitively understands and demonstrates the
  attitude, behavior and commitment of project
  management.
• Recognizing that
• Projects reflect reality
• Projects require a high degree of teamwork
• Project success is interdependent and is based on
  a systems approach to project management
• Project sponsorship can deteriorate rapidly

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Comparatives / Attributes

• LEADERS
• Engage peoples dreams
• Look for opportunities
• Set direction
• Align
• Motivate
• Evaluate risks
• Play chess
• Rhythm
• Lead coach

• MANAGERS
• Technocrats specifics
• Keep legacy business sound
• Plan
• Organize
• Problem solve
• Evaluate efficiency
• Play checkers
• Algorithms
• Coach mentor

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The Dichotomy of Management
L Lead
Dichotomy Real or Perceived?
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Success Factors

• In the most effective organizations, factors that
  contribute to success include
• Recruit, retain and develop those who will extend
  the practice, research and education in
  laboratory medicine
• Support staff with well-designed systems
  technologies
• Learn in Failure
• Tolerance to making learning from mistakes
• Accept experimentation
• Excel at continual improvement
• Ensure that skills are present to take knowledge
  and turn it into action
• Overcome professional power struggles and apathy
  that lead to inaction
• Network and Brand to build strong relationships

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Are you a Mechanic or a Gardener?

• We know that the process of changing a
  relationship is a lot more complicated that the
  process of changing a flat tire on your car. It
  requires a willingness to change. It requires a
  sense of openness, a sense of reciprocity, even a
  kind of vulnerability. You must be willing to be
  influenced by another person
• By Peter Senge