Hiring for Innovation in the Healthcare C-Suite
It’s no secret that healthcare is a fast-paced, ever-changing industry. As the industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it’s more important than ever that hospital leaders are agile, creative, open-minded, and quick on their feet. All of these qualities can be found in candidates who bring an innovation mindset to their leadership work. But what is an innovation mindset in healthcare, and how do you assess innovation during the hiring process?
What Healthcare Innovation Looks Like
An innovation mindset will look a little different in every leader, organization, and hospital system. However, in our view, there are at least three key components that will show up in every leadership candidate who is truly committed to innovating:
- A Growth Mindset — Leaders who innovate have an inherent belief that people (and organizations!) are capable of significant growth and change over time. Instead of trying to uphold the status quo, or hold tightly to outdated practices or branding, they are open to new approaches, new specialty areas, and new ideas that will keep the organization current and relevant as the industry continues to change.
- A Willingness to Collaborate – It’s rare that a new process, system, or idea is the work of one person. Innovation is a team sport, and great C-Suite leaders know this. They surround themselves with outstanding peers who can cover gap areas, contribute unique perspectives, and bring new and interesting ideas to the surface.
- A Skill for Listening – Forward thinking leaders often act like sponges. They keep their ears open and soak up feedback and thoughts from patients, patients’ families, staff, nurses, doctors, and fellow executives. They stay open and curious about the experiences of others and use that feedback to solve problems and improve challenge areas.
Hiring for Innovation in the Healthcare C-Suite: Questions to Ask Candidates
Now that you know which qualities to look out for, your next step is asking the right questions to evaluate C-Suite candidates accordingly. Consider including a few questions from this list the in your next interview:
Questions to Evaluate a Growth Mindset:
- Tell me about a time you received constructive feedback from a colleague or peer. How did you address the feedback?
- Tell me about a time you faced a challenge or setback at work.
- How did you handle it?
- Tell me about a time that you experienced failure. What did you do next?
- How are you hoping to grow and change during your time in this role?
Questions to Evaluate a Willingness to Collaborate
- What are some approaches you take when collaborating with others?
- What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from a peer in the workplace?
- What is your approach to communicating with fellow team members when you’re working on a project together? How do you organize responsibilities?
- How do you plan to contribute to our leadership team? What do you hope you’ll uniquely bring to the group?
Questions to Evaluate Listening Skills
- What is the most impactful piece of wisdom you have learned from a former manager or peer?
- What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from interacting with patients?
- How would you describe your approach to incorporating feedback from others?
- Can you think of a time that you incorporated constructive feedback from a peer or patient? How did it go?
If you keep these three qualities in mind, and ask a few questions from the list above, you should be able to get a good sense of the candidates who are most likely to bring a spirit of experimentation, curiosity and innovation to your hospital C-Suite team.
Looking for your next C-Suite healthcare leader? We can help! Schedule a 30-minute intro call with one of our associates to learn more about our healthcare recruiting services.