How Community Health Centers Fall Down - Thoughts on Community Health Center Governing Boards and Executive Directors

How Community Health Centers Fall Down - Thoughts on Community Health Center Governing Boards and Executive Directors

Make sure the people with whom you work understand your priorities. Community Health Center staff fall down when they have to guess what the boss is working at; and they invariably guess wrong.

The Executive Director needs to say, "This is what I am focusing on."

Then the Executive Director needs to ask the associates,
"What are you focusing on?"

Ask your associates,
"You put this item at the top of your priority list--why?"

The reason may be the right one, but it may also be that this associate of yours is a salesman who persuades you that his priorities are correct, when, in fact, they are not.

Make sure that you understand your associates' priorities.

Make sure that after you have that conversation, you sit down and e-mail them--"This is what I think we discussed. This is what I think we decided. This is what I think you committed yourself to within this time frame." Finally, ask them, "What do you expect from me as you seek to achieve your goals?"

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