Blog
In these volatile times, evaluating your current cybersecurity measures should be a priority of every organization, no matter its size. My organization had some measures in place prior to the ransomware attack, but it still created a major crisis within our organization. I share our story and the lessons we learned from the cyberattack in hopes that it will create a sense of urgency among my fellow leaders take steps now to protect their organizations.
By Renee Jensen
Are all successful leaders competitive by nature? If pressed to name a leader who is not the least bit competitive, I don’t think I could. I can honestly say that I have never met a successful leader who isn’t always striving to be better, improve themselves, or at very least outperform a friendly competitor.
By Renee Jensen
In past articles, I have shared about my (fairly new) love for running. Truth be told, though, I am not sure I actually love running itself as much as the escape that running offers me. I love the pure physical exhaustion that lets my mind be free of everything and present in the moment. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I reach a new milestone, but not necessarily the act of running itself. For these reasons, I often say that I don’t consider myself a “real” runner. (Although, once a friend scolded me for saying that, reminding me: “You run; therefore, you are a real runner.”)
By Renee Jensen
Active listening is an essential skill for anyone who leads others. Ensuring others feel heard and understood is part of what builds strong teams, but I have found that when you’re having a conversation as a team or with an individual, listening to what they aren’t saying is just as important as listening to what they are saying. I’m not just talking about body language (though that speaks volumes), but rather the omission of information or opinions or what isn’t laid out on the table.
By Renee Jensen
If you are part of your hospital’s front-line staff, think about the last time a member of the executive team rounded in your department. Did the staff scatter, hide behind the computer, and hope to not be noticed, or pretend to be too busy to be interrupted? Did you take one for the team and entertain the executive until they finally left?
As a CEO performing my rounds, this is sure how it felt to me.
By Renee Jensen
When was the last time you evaluated your own risk tolerance? In life there are all kinds of risks to consider: financial investments, adventures, personal relationships, professional decisions; the list could go on and on.
I am known to be a “risk tolerant” person, and as such I am often asked about the subject of risk. Most commonly people want to know how I personally evaluate risk in my life and professionally. How do you know if a risk is worth taking? How do you know how much risk to take on? What process do I use to determine if the risk is worth the reward?
By Renee Jensen
This is a trying time for leaders in the healthcare industry. The pandemic is putting stress on operations and financials, and is straining the capacity of the entire healthcare system. We have huge challenges to overcome, but it’s difficult to know how to lead and find a way forward in a situation no one has experienced before.
By Renee Jensen
I am passionate about my leadership in the healthcare field. I also love being a mother. Being a working mom has its challenges, and the decision to invest in my career and my family at the same time has brought the occasional judgmental comment—from colleagues, other parents, and even my own family. Some have offered encouragement, telling me that being a mom is just as important as anything else I could do. And while strides are being made for gender equality in the workplace, I don’t feel that motherhood is valued equally in the workplace, or in our culture.
By Renee Jensen
At one of the hospitals I served as CEO, I brought in an executive coach to work with our senior leadership team. At the end of our time together, the coach complimented my team, saying it was one of the most high-performing groups he had ever worked with. I was shocked.
In retrospect, I truly believe the reason for our ability to perform at a high level was our deep trust in one another, established through a genuine desire to know and care for each other.
