The late American economist and writer Peter Drucker said, “Management does the right thing, leaders do the right thing.”
This is especially true now in healthcare. Every day, leaders simultaneously face many complex challenges and make tough decisions that will impact their organizations, patients, and communities.
The ability to manage change under conditions of uncertainty is critical. This is one of the key skills developed by the AHA Next Generation Leadership Fellows Program, which aims to develop promising early and mid-career healthcare leaders and empower them to make real and lasting change in the hospitals and healthcare systems they serve.
One of the best features of the program is being paired with a senior mentor who helps fellows plan and execute a year-long completion project in their hospital or healthcare system, addressing key issues and challenges that affect the availability, cost, quality, and safety of healthcare. This hands-on experience helps aspiring senior executives hone the analytical skills and judgment they need to advance their careers.
The program accepts about 40 fellows each year. For the class of 2023-2024, the 12-month journey began last month with a first event in Chicago that included face-to-face meetings between cadets and their mentors. The introductory session sets goals and expectations as this group of fellows begins to build important relationships with colleagues.
Courses throughout the year will focus on leadership skills that move our field forward, including leading and influencing change, navigating new healthcare environments, driving change, and improving healthcare delivery through partnerships.
The Fellows program is designed to help ensure a steady stream of new talent—leaders who understand that the challenges and opportunities facing our industry today require new thinking, new directions, and innovation.
The AHA is grateful to the many mentors who have volunteered their time to work with future leaders. We are also fortunate to have the support of the John A. Hartford Foundation and our corporate sponsor, Accenture, which awards scholarships each year to fellows working to support the health and well-being of our nation’s growing older population.
Later this month, our 2022-23 Fellows will present their key project solutions to peers, faculty, and other participants at the AHA Leadership Summit in Seattle.
Helping the next generation of health leaders develop the skills and experience they will need in the future is critical to our efforts to improve America’s health.
We are proud that the AHA Next Generation Leadership Program has supported more than 100 emerging leaders over the past three years. We look forward to sharing the final results of this year’s final project and continuing their journey with the 2023-2024 class.
Unless otherwise noted, AHA institutional members, their employees, and state, state, and city hospital associations may use the original content on www.aha.org for non-commercial purposes. AHA does not claim ownership of any content created by any third party, including content included with permission in materials created by AHA, and cannot grant a license to use, distribute or otherwise reproduce such third party content. To request permission to reproduce AHA content, click here.