By Zachary A. Smith, Ph.D.
Through my many years in higher education, first as a campus administrator and now as an executive recruiter, I’ve observed and worked with hundreds of campus search committees. Some of these committees were extremely effective and efficient, while others moved at a less-than-optimal pace.
What does a search committee do to distinguish itself as one of the best, as compared to all the…
By Michelle Lee
The traditional career path – moving up the organizational ladder in a specific function within a single industry – is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Today’s most successful leaders tend to come from various educational backgrounds and their career paths weave through many industries and functional areas, positioning them to take on the constant changes in today’s competitive environment.
Industry “outsiders” are often just…
By Beth Nelson
Despite continuing speculation that the move toward population health is problematic for rural hospitals and healthcare systems (ie, those with small populations), the emergence of new and innovative programs by some providers indicates otherwise.
While disruptive change will continue, rural hospitals and health systems that embrace the right population health strategies, and recruit the right leaders to implement those strategies, can seize opportunities. This was…
Many career paths were open to Dr. Jabbar R. Bennett, Northwestern University’s first associate provost for diversity and inclusion. Rather than follow a more traditional route based in academic research and study, he heeded the voice inside his head to pursue a path that would give him to both purpose and peace of mind.
Dr. Bennett shares his thoughts on leadership, including the importance of career advice from his mother, in a recent Witt/Kieffer
By Amy Crutchfield
Every executive who enters a job search dreams of being selected for the position. The process to get there can be tough, however. In higher education, for example, there will be a day packed with interviews, events, and breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings. This is when the dream becomes more of a potential nightmare for introverts. I know this particularly well because I consider myself an introvert.
As introverts, we are probably at a disadvantage in the traditional…
By Hillary Ross
Precision medicine was a late-term focus of the Obama administration, and will remain a national priority as the new regime comes to Washington. The potential benefits number too many to ignore.
As health systems decide on what precision medicine (or personalized medicine) will look like for them, and move toward implementation of that vision, there is a need to recruit strong and innovative leaders. My colleague, Zachary Durst, and I recently had the opportunity to share our thoughts…
By Jeffrey Schroetlin
An increasing number of health systems are partnering with or launching their own medical schools. They are doing so to keep up with a demand for physicians brought about by the retirement of baby boomer doctors as well as increasing populations and greater need for healthcare in general. Healthcare systems see their own medical schools as an opportunity to address this need for physicians at a local level and even to build their own prestige and reputations…
As 2016 comes to an end, please join us as we take a look back at the insight, knowledge and advice shared by our contributors this past year. The items below highlight some of our most popular posts of 2016 from our thought leaders and are presented in the order they appeared on our blog. We hope you enjoy!
Find Solid Footing in a Shifting Career Landscape David Boggs, practice…
Leaders today must be more engaged and collaborative with colleagues, more in touch with employees, more conscientious of what they do and say, more concerned about diversity and fairness, and more accountable for the security, honesty, and welfare of their companies than in the past. This new landscape requires leaders to question their intuitions, while sticking with tried-and-true principles.
Witt/Kieffer Chair and CEO Charles W.B. Wardell, III recently…
By Oliver B. Tomlin, III
Higher education institutions have come to realize just how critical a chief diversity officer is to getting things done regarding diversity and inclusion. One unfortunate result of this trend, however, is that the roles of most chief diversity officers have ballooned. At one end of the spectrum, the CDO is responsible for increasing the numbers of underrepresented individuals within the institution and ensuring a pipeline…