Dr. Alan Kaplan of UW Health: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a C-Suite Executive
Learn to say “no.” We grow in our leadership careers by saying “yes.” When I began in my current role, the request for my engagement in committees, boards, professional associations, and charitable events could have easily been a full-time job.
As part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Alan S. Kaplan.
Dr. Alan S. Kaplan became Chief Executive Officer of UW Health in May 2016.
Dr. Kaplan previously served as executive vice president and chief clinical transformation officer for UnityPoint Health, a multi-state, integrated health system based in Iowa. He was also the founder and president/CEO of UnityPoint Clinic. Dr. Kaplan earned his medical degree from Rush University in Chicago in 1985, is board-certified in emergency medicine and earned a master’s in medical management from Carnegie Mellon University in 2000.
He is a nationally renowned health care leader with a proven track record of leading large-scale clinical and cultural transformation with a focus on care coordination.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Well, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. After medical school I was in residency training to be an ears, nose, and throat surgeon and I was moonlighting in urgent care. During one of those urgent care shifts, a young boy who had stopped breathing was rushed through the doors in his father’s arms. I was able to save his life. Weeks later, the parents sent me photos of his sports events and report cards. I switched specialties and pursed a career as an emergency physician.
Just a few years out of my residency I became a medical director of a busy and growing emergency department. It was in this role I discovered my passion for leadership.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
While working as an emergency physician, I’ve had many interesting stories. Perhaps the most impactful was one evening when a man in full cardiac arrest was brought to the emergency department by his family. We started cardiac life support measures to no avail. After 20 minutes we decided to discontinue resuscitation efforts and I proceeded to let the family know. The patient’s wife and daughter calmly asked me to keep trying. I thought the effort futile, but I did. After the seventh defibrillation shock and a lot of medication, we got a faint pulse. He lived another 20 years and was able to walk his daughters down the aisle and become a grandfather.
Every year on the anniversary of his resuscitation he would bring me a tie. And as my leadership career progressed, this served as a reminder of the importance of our work and to always maintain a patient and family centered focus in all that we do.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
I believe people should strive to leave a place better than how they found it. A lot of people think of nature when they hear that, but I think of it through a leadership lens. In any leadership role, I am most proud of those things that I built, developed or improved that positively affected patients and the organization long after I left.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on your leadership style? Can you share a story or an example of that?
I tend to read business books and my family teases me for reading them even when we are on vacation.
If I had to pick two, I would say Leading Change by John Kotter tends to be applicable throughout my career. The other is Mushrooming with Confidence by Alexander Schwab. I don’t think the latter is a particularly exciting read, but I like to forage for wild mushrooms, and I figure I can’t lead if I am dead by poison mushroom.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
At its root, it is our commitment to our mission and the resilience of our workforce. The pandemic was particularly challenging. Everybody showed up to meet the challenge on behalf of our patients and our community. Everyone from the frontlines, to support personnel to organizational leaders. We built testing capabilities, cared for patients, engaged in clinical research, kept our providers and staff safe and we actually delivered a positive bottom line. I am in awe of our people.
The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?
Always prepare for the next opportunity even when you do not know what, where or when it will be. Actively listen and learn, readily accept feedback (even when it hurts) and use it to improve.
When I applied for my first CEO position, I was told mid-interview that I was not qualified. That feedback was invaluable to me. I turned disappointment into a learning opportunity and interviewed consultants and healthcare CEOs across the country to better understand what is required to reach the top spot. I published the findings in a series of leadership articles and followed their insights to get to where I am today.
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. Can you share a story about advice you’ve received that you now wish you never followed?
When I was in grade school I was advised to stand up to a bully and told, “don’t worry you can take him.” It didn’t go well for me. I am not a conflict avoider, but I am much more thoughtful on my approach nowadays.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Integrity, which is often mistaken to be equivalent to honesty. Yes, you need to be honest, but integrity requires proactive communication, follow through and consistency. If I commit to a radiologist a new MRI machine but an unavoidable expense prevents the purchase, I can wait until that radiologist asks about it, or I can proactively tell her about the change and come up with a new solution. The latter approach is integrity.
Listening. Make sure you understand all the information before you react to it. Never react without the full story. If you react too fast, you could cause more damage.
Delegation. You cannot do everything and, frankly, no one wants you to do their job. People feel empowered when you trust them, respect their expertise and talent, and allow yourself to depend upon them. This is vital to getting things done and building a talented team.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a C-Suite executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what a C-Level executive does that is different from the responsibilities of other leaders?
Leaders take people to places they would not have gone on their own. Nowhere is that truer within an organization than the C-suite. This requires developing a vision, building a capable team, and driving execution. What is most different is the importance of not allowing yourself to get dragged into day-to-day issues. If you do, you run the risk of losing sight of the big picture and organizational focus.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?
People think that somehow a CEO knows everything that is going on at the organization and influences every decision. As an example, I receive an average of 2,000 vendor outreaches per month. If I spent one minute on each email it would take 33 hours a month. This same concept applies to thousands of interactions and decisions made on a daily basis.
What are the most common leadership mistakes you have seen C-Suite leaders make when they start leading a new team? What can be done to avoid those errors?
Success as a leader is highly dependent on developing a capable team that exhibits the behaviors and attributes you expect throughout the organization. I have seen leaders make team member decisions too early or too delayed. I have seen more than one C-Suite leader, including CEOs, lose credibility and their jobs because of conflict avoidance and allowing poor performance and/or behavior to persist.
In your experience, which aspect of running a company tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?
Day-to-day operational needs can often be underestimated. My propensity is to pursue strategic initiatives and to move forward. However, pace of change does have its limits. Quality improvement, workforce well-being, diversity and inclusion, information systems and financial management are resource intensive and are easily stressed when pushed too hard.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading From the C-Suite”? Please share a story or an example for each.
Learn to say “no.” We grow in our leadership careers by saying “yes.” When I began in my current role, the request for my engagement in committees, boards, professional associations, and charitable events could have easily been a full-time job.
Governance work will be more intensive that you anticipate. We have what I believe to be a strong, board-endorsed strategic plan. However, I underestimated the work required to inform and bring along new board members, who may question past decisions or wish to change directions, or the work required when governance dysfunction emerges.
Be bold and be persistent when a vision is directionally correct. Do not let history, resistance to change, or organizational politics keep you from doing big things. Everything that I have done in my career for which I am most proud “could not be done.” For example, I led two highly competitive healthcare organizations into a joint operating agreement with 100% revenue and expense sharing. Today the partnership is strong and trusting.
Do not worry about succeeding a popular leader, who has a reputation for building a great organization. There is ALWAYS more improvement possible and strategies to pursue.
I am glad that a former boss did discuss with me the concept of integrity as the number one asset for successful leader. I always thought myself to be honest, but he taught me that being perceived as having integrity was an attribute to be earned through much more than honesty. I am persistently mindful of this fact.
In your opinion, what are a few ways that executives can help to create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?
People like working where exciting things are happening, ambiguity is diminished, and people are empowered.
One tool to accomplish these things is a well-crafted strategic plan that creates excitement and in which people see themselves. Most important is that this be a “living” plan. Our strategic plan is led by a simple vision: “Remarkable Healthcare.” The whole plan fits on a simple one-page graphic. We have 3–5 years goals and every year; we craft initiatives that drive toward those goals. Initiatives have an assigned accountable executive. There is no dust collecting on the plan. People can see the progress which creates positivity and engagement.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Leading through the middle. A bold vision does not require eccentricity. It requires teamwork and collaboration. It requires constructive respectful disagreement and discussion. Most successful organizations function in this manner. My movement of leading to the middle would be a political party with no candidate but would support candidates from either side of the aisle who could successfully reach out and work with others to the benefit of our nation. Sounds crazy? Well, that’s how our nation was founded.
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