← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome to the Becker's Healthcare podcast, everyone. I'm Chris Sosa, your host and we're so very pleased to welcome today Mike Slabowski. He of course, is the CEO and president of Trinity Health. Mike, thank you for joining us today.
- [00:12]
B
Great to be with you, Chris.
- [00:13]
A
Wonderful. This conversation is maybe a little bit different from some other podcasts. Specifically, we want to dive into the who of healthcare. Maybe getting past the operations and X's and O's of providing care. Those are obviously very important. But it's a little bit of a deeper conversation we're hoping today. You ready for that?
- [00:33]
B
I'm ready for you.
- [00:35]
A
Perfect.
- [00:35]
B
As ready as I'm going to be anyway.
- [00:37]
A
That's all we can ask. That's all we can ask. First question I have for you, Mike, is simply, what is something you've learned outside of healthcare that you've applied to your career?
- [00:45]
B
Yeah, it's a hard question to answer a lot of things. Number one, I grew up in a second generation Polish and Italian family. So I learned the value of hard work and family at a very young age. And that was a huge influence by my parents, my grandparents in particular, I would say. The second thing I've learned outside of health care, I sit on a public company board that our board has really endorsed my serving on to get a perspective from the other world outside of not for profit healthcare. And one of the things that I really have lighted from learning about that board is they have framed all of their work around, you know, run the business, evolve the business, transform the business. And so we call our, what we do a ministry. So we've adopted the run the ministry, evolve the ministry, transform the ministry. And the really, the nice part about the framework is the word transform is the most overused, fashionable word in leadership contexts these days. The reality is a lot of the things we're doing is evolving. How do we accelerate the evolution of what we're doing to ultimately end up transforming health care? It's given us the discipline to try to break our work into looking at those as buckets because you've got to run the ministry well, but at the same time, we've got to be moving forward with things that will take us to the next level. So that's something really valuable that I've learned and we've adopted with our strategic plan. And then I guess the last thing I would share that I've learned outside of health care. A lot of people know that I play guitar. I started at the age 12. I was one of those kids that saw the Beatles on tv and knew I needed to be in a band. And so I've been, I've been, you know, I play with people, classic rock and pop music. I've been in several bands, but I always try to find people who are better musicians than me because they up my game, number one. Number two, when you're in a leadership role, you know, you can't read your own press clippings. And the reality is that you have to have people around you that are better than you, that are part of the team, and that's what a band is. I mean, everyone contributes in a different way. And so those are things I've learned that I've been able to apply to the, to our, to our work. And I, I think it's served me well for the most part.
- [03:39]
A
That's an excellent point, Mike. I learned that through sports as well, that it's. Yeah, not. Not impossible, but it's. Let's just say it's much easier to learn from people who are better than you because you can see what they do and you can emulate them and, and learn a lot of lessons there. I'm glad you mentioned the guitar element, because you got a little bit personal on us there. The next question that I wanted to hit you with here is looking at the human element, right? So you're having a tough day and what are you doing to keep yourself healthy? Just in general, whether it's physically, emotionally, mentally, you know, you got to take care of yourself. So how are you doing that?
- [04:14]
B
Yeah, well, I wouldn't say that I'm the perfect physical specimen, but I do, I do value exercise. So, like in the summer, I will, especially with the long days now, you know, I will take a power walk at night, couple of miles by way of example. I'm on the treadmill in the winter. A little bit of strength training. So physical fitness, I think is important. Keeping some modicum of that, I think, you know, family is really important. I mean, I had a devoted and supportive partner, my wife Barbara, for 45 years. You know, we have twin daughters and we have grandchildren. So, you know, just getting a photo during the day of one of the grandkids can, you know, keep. Keep it all in perspective for you. And then I. I think the other thing to be healthy, especially emotionally and mentally, is having faith. And I think all of us have a higher purpose. Whether you support a particular faith tradition or not, you have some sense of a higher purpose for yourself and on Earth. Why am I on Earth? And as long as, as we can Focus in, you know, on our, on, on faith that, you know, thing. We have a purpose and there's something we can do to make a difference to others, that, that brings me back.
- [05:40]
A
So that makes total sense to me. Mike, and no doubt your team, Eternity, Health, and everyone in your orbit is, is glad you're able to go to these elements to, to improve yourself and keep yourself going. But I'm gonna shift gears slightly here. We all have tough days, right? It's just unavoidable. I mean, it's part of being a person. So when you have those days, how do you turn things around? Whether it's a person or aspect of your life that you're looking to, what do you do to bounce back?
- [06:08]
B
Yeah, I had mentioned earlier, I mean, my wife is my number one advocate, right. So, I mean, if I'm having a bad day and she, you know, a lot of times you try to hold it in and, you know, she tries to pull it out of me and it's hard, but, but, you know, she wants to, she wants to be supportive. So I, I would say she'd been my number one advocate. I mean, I have some colleagues in this, you know, work that I reach out to when we have, when we have challenges and just want to bounce something off of them or, you know, get their opinions or commiserate with them a little bit, you know, when we're having, when we're having a tough day. So I would say those are the. I've had a number of leadership coaches, and they're also a great resource for, you know, helping you put things in perspective. So I think all those avenues, you know, are really, really important.
- [07:06]
A
Mike, do you find that's common, the leadership coach aspect? Just talking to your colleagues, whether it's a trinity or another healthcare, you know, entities, you know, do you find that this is something that they're looking to as well?
- [07:20]
B
Yeah, I mean, I think everyone, you know, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, there's at least a few people that you're close to that you can, you can chat with. And with respect to coaching, you know, I mean, you have to be receptive to having an executive coach, but if you are, it can be of great value. So. And it shouldn't be something that, you know, is. I mean, when it's forced on somebody who doesn't want to accept it, you're not going to go anywhere with it. So you really have to, to see the value in working with a coach and, and having them help you understand Yourself a little bit better.
- [08:01]
A
Absolutely. Mike. We're all, you know, as people, we're always learning, especially in healthcare. This, everyone in the industry knows that. We're constantly learning, you know, whether you're a provider and executive, you know, journalists like myself. What is something you learned about yourself though, from working in healthcare?
- [08:20]
B
Well, I belong in faith based healthcare. So, you know, we're a Catholic, not for profit system, but I've been in faith based healthcare, Catholic Healthcare, since 1990. I'm not saying secular systems, they're great. And my first healthcare role was a wonderful 11 years with the Henry Ford health system, which was a very formative time for me. But, but I think, you know, I, I fit in a environment where, you know, really our mission is, is a ministry. And so I've learned that about myself and it links to my faith, I think, you know, I've learned that, you know, Ben Zander, that wrote one book, you know, he said you look at the shining eyes of people, you know, when they're in flow. So I've, I've learned about myself to look for the shining eyes and to grab people where, who are kind of inflow, are in the queue, are, are, are feeling really inspired by the work that they do and really maximize the use of that. So I've, I've learned how to read that a little bit better over time and learn that about myself, I guess. And, and then I guess the last thing I would say is I think everyone, and I've learned through, through some sessions I've been in, you need to have a personal mission statement. And it can be simple, can be long. So mine is, you know, the most important things in life are faith in God, love of family and friends, good health, happiness or contentment and service to others. So I have five, and I don't always live those, but they're a witness. They're a litmus test for me about whether I'm out of balance or not. So you can use them as sort of guideposts for, you know, am I, am I really on the right path or am I. Have I drifted? And that's been really valuable to me to learn about myself and when I'm drifting.
- [10:23]
A
Mike, I really like the shining eyes example element that you just mentioned. I think a lot of us might see that intuitively with something we might see in someone else and know that. But, you know, he articulated that very well, certainly at least in my opinion.
- [10:36]
B
It's a book that was written a long time ago called the Art of Possibility, and Xander was I think it was the Boston Philharmonic, if I can remember correctly, that he conducted. And, you know, one of the other powerful things he said is, you know, I was a conductor for 20 years when I realized that I, as the conductor, do not play a single note. All of my power comes from others, you know, and that, that's how you have to be in, in a leadership role. I mean, it's all about who you surround yourself with and how you support them.
- [11:12]
A
A little strange maybe that it took him 20 years, but I guess maybe just in the conducting zone and, you know, obviously he did his job well, so there's a lot to be said from that. But, you know, but I mean, we.
- [11:24]
B
All have some ego, right?
- [11:26]
A
Say that again.
- [11:27]
B
We all have some ego, I guess.
- [11:29]
A
Oh, yeah, no.
- [11:30]
B
Depends on how long it takes you to figure that out.
- [11:32]
A
But there's no doubt, no doubt at all. The last thing I want to run by you here, Mike, is when you get to a leadership, any sort of leadership position, you're taking a risk. You're betting on yourself. Whatever metaphor or mantra you want to add to that, apply to that. So for you, what's one risk? I mean, maybe there are several, but if you can give us one that you've taken that has really paid off in your career or just in life in general.
- [12:00]
B
Yeah, well, I, I think, I mean, there are several. But I guess the one here at Trinity that I'm most excited about is when I returned. I was, by the way, I, I like a. In my second tour of duty here. So I was here for about 12 years, left and ran another Catholic system and came back after seven years and have been here now eight years again. And we were, when I came back, we were like Heinz 57 variety of EMRs, electronic medical record systems across the organization. And we were on a path with a couple of, of, you know, vendor partners that, you know, I just, I said, you know, are we five or six or seven years from now on the path we're on? Will we be any more patient centered than we are today? The answer was probably not. We had to take the bold move of deciding to move in a different direction. Within the next year, we will be one of the largest single instances of epic, which we have private labeled in our organization together care. But we'll be one of the largest in the country on a single instance of it. So the order sets across our 93 hospitals, our 10,000 physicians, our home care operations, our PACE programs, everything on a single instance of Epic. And it was a big bet. I Mean, it was to make that decision and to move well over a billion dollars in this timeframe. But it has really paid dividends for us on creating the exceptional member or patient experience and an exceptional colleague or clinician experience in having that platform in place. So I'm really excited about that. I think another one that was a little bit of a risk for me. When I came back to Trinity, I was looking at our core values and we have great core values. They're somewhat transcendental in nature. And at my previous role, we had embodied safety as a core value. And when I came back and presented that to the board initially, it didn't kind of feel like it lined up with the other core values, especially to some of the women religious on our board. But as they thought about it for a while and really learned about the importance of safety for our colleagues and for the people we serve, they really supported it. But it felt like a risk bringing it up and trying to advocate for it initially, because that's a big deal to an organization is to change core values or to add a core value. And it's paid off for us because safety is more than just a program. It's got to be part of who you are to create a zero harm environment for the people we serve and the people who serve. So those would be a couple. But I mean, there's been, you know, a lot of other things where you take chances on making a decision to expand, to contract a clinical service. You know, making difficult decisions. I mean, right now in this time, you know, we, we've had some markets where we are unable to staff and, or have enough volume to support a quality clinical program. And we've had to make the critical decision to pull back on a clinical program. And the communities and the politicians react very negatively to that. It creates a credibility issue. And you just have to work through the process with them to understand why we have to make the change in how to, how to reorient in a different direction to support that need, but in a different way. So those would be a few examples.
- [16:10]
A
Those are great examples, I think. And to speak to some of the ones you mentioned off the top there, certainly once you make the decision to take a quantum leap, whether it's the EMR or whether it's expanding, whatever it is, and you find that you're building momentum, I mean, the feeling has to be, you know, worth way more than you can describe, right?
- [16:32]
B
Yeah, it's not easy either. I mean, you know, changes people, process, technology and culture. And if you don't give credence to all four of those equal weight. Really, you're going to do, you're going to do rework. So, you know, it's a, it's a journey. It is a journey. And you're, and you're moving cheese for a lot of people. You know, we're putting a new, you know, innovative nursing model in place. We've got it in 11 of our hospitals now. And you know, it uses, there's a, it's a virtual nurse with on floor team. We call it together team. And boy, it's, it's on the people and culture side that's the hardest nut to crack. The technology works, the new processes make some sense. But if people don't come along with it and adapt and learn and support it, it's challenging.
- [17:30]
A
No doubt. Well, Mike, thank you for taking this podcast journey with us. We're always glad when you can give us some time and no doubt we cannot wait to share all these insights with our viewers, our readers, everyone who taps into us us. We're going to see you in November clearly, and hopefully that won't be the last time that we see you in some way, shape or form.
- [17:49]
B
Yeah, I real supporter of Becker's and the work you're doing to communicate and engage with, with, with your members and the people that you work with. So say hi to Scott for me.
- [18:03]
A
Can do. It's, it's always our pleasure, Mike. So until next time.
- [18:06]
B
Okay. Take care.