Getting Your Board on Board
Healthcare
While developing or refreshing an annual marketing plan, my clients and I review metrics and see how far we’ve come on our plans and strategies. We consider the effectiveness of our efforts and look for innovative and new ways to meet our goals. Lately, during this process, I’ve seen a growing trend toward leaders seemingly overlooking one key component. It’s the keystone that could make or break their facility’s goals. I’m talking about their board of directors.
I’ve been working with rural hospitals throughout my career, either ones that remain independent or those part of systems desiring to better integrate within their larger organizations. Their boards of directors that I meet are truly as diverse as the clients we serve. As with snowflakes and fingerprints, no two boards are exactly alike. They do, however, share some commonalities:
- All boards want the best for their hospital and their community.
- No boards have a complete knowledge of healthcare.
- All boards are comprised of people who have a tremendous voice in the community.
- Hospital CEOs and hospital boards often have a love/hate relationship.
A board member’s role is not easy, but it is critical to the success of your organization. Afterall, these community members are the eyes and ears of your organization, and they represent your brand and reputation. Board members come from various backgrounds, including:
- Agriculture/Farmer/Finance/Bank President
- Insurance/Agency Owner
- Healthcare/Administrative or Nursing
All too often, boards are not fully utilized for the diverse array of experience and talent they bring to your hospital. In fact, this article from the American Hospital Association reminds us all that your board should not only be involved in planning the growth of your organization, but rather, it should be driving it.
In fact, authors Gene J. O’Dell and John R. Combes, M.D. representing the Center for Healthcare Governance summarize the board’s role in strategic planning: “…the board must have a working knowledge of the planning process and intimately understand its role and responsibility, as well as the roles of the CEO and management team.”
Strategic planning vs. Marketing Planning
O’Dell and Combes are spot on in describing the board’s role in strategic planning, and their advice holds true regarding both business and marketing planning for your rural health organization.
I’ll often be approached to lead the strategic planning process for an organization. Although there are certainly similarities, the two disciplines of strategic planning and marketing planning should not be confused. Strategic Planning involves preparing an organization’s future in various areas of operations including facilities, human resources, recruitment, quality, finances, physician relations and growth (i.e., business development or marketing). The marketing planning process needs to align and support the strategic plan, but it is solely dedicated to how to grow the business using various metrics such as market share, perception scores and overall volumes.
As an advocate for board members being involved in the strategic planning process, I believe their most significant role, within this process, is to provide the vision and direction for an organization’s sustainability and future growth. I find that a board’s collective experience in various aspects of business best equips them for this role, as opposed to providing guidance on other aspects of the strategic plan requiring more experience in the clinical aspects of healthcare.
What is the role of a board member?
A few years ago, I helped a rural hospital maneuver through a PR crisis. Due to confidentiality concerns, I won’t share the particulars, but one of the issues we faced was that the hospital’s own board was unknowingly adding fuel to the public relations fire.
As you know, board members are dedicated servants of your organization. But sometimes, they take this affinity too far and feel compelled to solve every problem, or respond to every inquiry, personally. In other words, they erase that line between board oversight and operations. In this situation, we had various board members speaking to the community and the media, with no coordination with hospital management or communications. Their hearts were in the right place, but their actions were escalating the issue.
Now maybe you have your communications process buttoned down, or your board members aren’t as “rogue” as this example, but regardless, the overlying point remains: an engaged and informed board will become your strongest ally, but an uninformed board or one that feels out of the loop, will feel compelled to take matters into their own hands. After all, people are calling them and expecting answers. Board members have varying levels of experience and might not always appreciate the sensitivities and confidential nature of the healthcare landscape. They just know there’s a problem, and they are on the board, so they need to “fix” the problem.
As we developed a strategy for our PR situation, we took a step back and more actively involved the board in the solution. In the board presentation outlining our action plan, we reviewed, diplomatically, some basic tenets of board governance and the division of roles between the board of directors and hospital leadership. Combining a little bit of coaching, some encouragement, and good old-fashioned reminders of why they were there in the first place, we helped empower the board to be a positive force in their community. The board was engaged and ready to be evangelists for the hospital.
While your governance model may vary, we built consensus on the following three primary functions of a board. Even the process of discussing these tenets with your board is a healthy way to form a bond, and to help them to become your strongest advocates.
Functions:
1. Provide vision, but not direction on operational decisions.
This guideline, of course, is the holy grail of a healthy organization. Now, I’m a realist and know you will never experience complete utopia. It’s a fine line. You want board members to be engaged and provide any guidance they deem appropriate, but not to dictate how you resolve a problem, or who you hire or fire, or how you manage your organization. They should, however, hold you accountable for achieving specifically defined goals.
2. Stay informed and educated
The most effective board member is an educated one. Paint a clear picture of your competitive environment by sharing critical data such as market share and patient perceptions.
- Share analytics and research.
- Provide periodic updates on the successes or failures of marketing initiatives. Showcase progress toward established goals.
- Set aside time at board meetings for brief educational opportunities or guest presenters.
- Encourage attendance at state and national health care conferences. Attend with them and schedule time to discuss learnings and observations.
- Encourage participation in national organizations such as the National Rural Health Association.
- Subscribe board members to industry publications.
- Routinely share articles of interest and schedule time to discuss as a board.
3. Actively participate in the marketing planning process
- Stay informed on the latest technological, operational and policy updates.
- Serve as a brand ambassador for your organization.
- Keep a pulse on perceptions in the community and share with hospital leadership.
Attending the National Rural Health Conference later this month in Kansas City? If so, please attend Mike’s session, “Is your Board on Board?,” Thursday at 1 pm CST If attending, but can’t make the session, just stop by the BVK Health booth (#506) at the conference and meet Mike.
Can’t attend the conference, but would like a copy of the presentation? Please submit the form below and we will send you one right after Mike’s session on September 26.
Interested in having Mike facilitate a board engagement workshop at your organization? Contact Mike at [email protected] or 920.265.7488, and we’ll customize a program to your needs.
Mike Milligan, MHA, has dedicated his career to collaborating with rural healthcare board members and c-suite leaders to build brands and volumes for healthcare systems, with specializations in brand integration, culture development, patient acquisition, employee recruitment and crisis communications. He has an affinity toward improving access to the underserved through his advocacy on Capitol Hill, speaking engagements, ongoing counsel, and his current role as a member of the National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA) Rural Health Congress. In 2008, Mike founded his own healthcare marketing agency. It flourished under his guidance, along with his reputation as a national leader, speaker, and expert in helping healthcare leaders navigate today’s evolving demands. In 2022, Mike sold his successful business and continues his strategic healthcare counsel as senior vice president of BVK Health. Mike earned his B.A. in Journalism and Master of Health Administration (MHA), with a specialization in healthcare leadership. He has served as director, president and chair of dozens of industry associations and for-profit and non-profit boards throughout his career, including his current, member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Wisconsin division of Aspirus Health. In addition to his ongoing counsel at BVK Health, Mike has served in senior communications roles for Advocate Aurora Health, Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) and Novant Health.
