Table Of ContentPhoenix Leadership
The Healthcare Executive’s Strategy
for Relevance and Resilience
Phoenix Leadership
The Healthcare Executive’ s Strategy
for Relevance and Resilience
Val Gokenbach, DM, RN, MBA, RWJF
CRC Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑ in‑ Publication Data
Names: Gokenbach, Val, author.
Title: Phoenix leadership : the healthcare executive’ s strategy for relevance
and resilience / Val Gokenbach.
Description: Boca Raton : Taylor & Francis, 2018. | “A CRC title, part of the
Taylor & Francis imprint, a member of the Taylor & Francis Group, the
academic division of T&F Informa plc.” | Includes bibliographical
references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017004675 | ISBN 9781138032279 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Health services administration. | Leadership. | Medical
personnel.
Classification: LCC RA971 .G564 2018 | DDC 362.1068/4--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004675
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To Chika, my sweet little angel friend who has taught me
more about strength and resilience in a few short months
than I could learn in a lifetime. Love you Chika.
Miss you!
January 2010–March 2017
Contents
Foreword ........................................................................................................................xv
Introduction ................................................................................................................xix
1 Status of Healthcare in the United States ....................................1
Healthcare Leadership: An Awesome Responsibility .................................1
The Concept of a Plane Crash ....................................................................2
Leadership Is the Answer to Quality, Safety and Effectiveness ................3
Are Leaders Born or Made? ........................................................................4
Difference between Leadership and Management ....................................5
Evolution of Leadership Theory .................................................................5
Industrial Revolution ...............................................................................5
Human Resource Era ..............................................................................6
Leadership Approaches ...............................................................................6
Autocratic/Authoritarian ..........................................................................7
Democratic/Egalitarian............................................................................7
Transactional ...........................................................................................8
Contingency Theory................................................................................8
Followership ............................................................................................9
Servant .....................................................................................................9
Coaching ..................................................................................................9
Transformational ...................................................................................10
State of the Healthcare Environment .......................................................11
Organizational and Personal Effects of Ineffective Leadership ...............12
Causes of Ineffective Leadership ..............................................................13
Inexperience ..........................................................................................13
Lack of Knowledge of Self ....................................................................14
Complacency .........................................................................................14
Resistance to Change ............................................................................14
vii
viii ◾ Contents
Ego Issues ..............................................................................................14
Inability to Communicate a Vision .......................................................14
Ineffective Responses to Challenges.....................................................15
Inability to Read the Political Landscape .............................................15
The Case for the Phoenix Leader .............................................................15
Application to Practice ..............................................................................16
References .................................................................................................17
2 The Phoenix Leader ...................................................................19
Story of the Phoenix .................................................................................19
Classic Arabian Phoenix .......................................................................20
The Bennu .............................................................................................20
Feng Huang ...........................................................................................20
Hou-Ou..................................................................................................20
Native American Thunderbird ..............................................................21
Characteristics of the Phoenix ..................................................................21
Attributes of the Phoenix Leader..............................................................21
Strong Sense of Self ..............................................................................21
Effective Interpersonal Relationship .....................................................22
Ability to Build an Empowered Workforce ..........................................22
Innovative ..............................................................................................22
Resilience ...............................................................................................22
Reason for Becoming a Phoenix Leader ..................................................23
Relevance ...............................................................................................23
Personal Growth and Success ...............................................................24
Contribution to Great Work ..................................................................24
References .................................................................................................26
3 Attributes of the Phoenix Leader, a Strong Sense of Self .........27
Values ........................................................................................................27
Where Do Values Come From? .................................................................28
Alignment of Values and Behaviors .........................................................29
Finding Your Personal Values: An Exercise .............................................30
Values-Based Leadership ..........................................................................32
Authenticity Defined .................................................................................32
Hollis’ s 10 Steps to Authenticity ...............................................................33
Authentic Leadership ................................................................................35
All About Ego ............................................................................................36
Ego Defined ..............................................................................................36
Superego ................................................................................................36
Contents ◾ ix
Id ............................................................................................................36
Ego .........................................................................................................37
Ego as the Enemy .....................................................................................38
Common Ego Traps to Avoid ...................................................................38
Application to Practice ..............................................................................40
References .................................................................................................41
4 Attributes of the Phoenix Leader, Effective Interpersonal
Relationships .............................................................................43
Emotional Intelligence Defined ................................................................43
The Story of Nikki ................................................................................44
Emotional Intelligence (EI), the Science ...................................................46
The First Brain .......................................................................................46
The Emotional Brain .............................................................................46
The Rational Brain ................................................................................47
Value to Leadership ...................................................................................47
Emotional Intelligence and the Phoenix Leader ......................................48
Social Intelligence Defined .......................................................................48
Social Intelligence (SI), the Science ..........................................................48
Value to Leadership ...................................................................................51
Social Intelligence and the Phoenix Leader .............................................54
Strong Communication Skills ....................................................................54
Attention Span ...........................................................................................55
Types of Learners ......................................................................................55
Tactile Learners .....................................................................................55
Audio Learners ......................................................................................56
Visual Learners ......................................................................................56
Communication Expectations of Various Generations ............................57
Silent Generation ...................................................................................57
Baby Boomers .......................................................................................58
Generation X .........................................................................................58
Generation Y .........................................................................................59
Putting It All Together ...........................................................................59
Communication Infrastructure .................................................................59
Objectives of a Communication Plan ...................................................60
Flow of Information ..............................................................................60
Information Distillation .........................................................................62
Information Drift ...................................................................................62
Gossip ....................................................................................................62
