Healthcare, including life sciences, stands at a pivotal moment of transformation, and we find ourselves in what feels like a permanent state of disruptive change. At times, it can feel disorienting. We’re experiencing the seismic shifts reshaping every corner of our industry. The convergence of digital transformation, advancement of the use of AI, innovative approaches to R&D, evolving regulatory and policy landscape, and the ever-pressing mandate to make quality care affordable are impacting every organization in the healthcare ecosystem at a dizzying pace. From hospital corridors to research labs, from patient bedsides to boardrooms, this wave of continuous and unprecedented change isn’t just transforming how we deliver patient care – it’s fundamentally revolutionizing our entire approach to advancing healthcare. The stakes have never been higher, and neither has the potential for meaningful impact.
Here is what three decades in healthcare have taught me: while technology, innovation, and policies drive change and disruption, people are the foundation for driving success. Our ability to effectively navigate the seismic shifts depends less on managing the change and more on how we lead people through it.
The Leadership Challenge
A recent Gallup survey reveals the striking reality – leaders and managers are shouldering the heaviest burden of organizational disruption.
- Over half of the managers across various industries state their organization has restructured and cut budgets, creating immense pressure, burnout, and disengaged teams. 7 in 10 workers reported experiencing significant change over the past year.
- Leaders and managers are 56% more likely to be burdened by the impacts of extensive or disruptive change in their organizations than individual contributors.
Additionally, New LinkedIn research reveals that 64% of professionals feel overwhelmed by the rapid workplace changes, with 68% seeking more support than ever.
In the healthcare ecosystem, where every decision ripples through patient care and outcomes, the weight of managing change is particularly acute. For leaders, managers, and their teams, successfully navigating through change over the long haul requires resilience. Without resilience, long periods of disruptive change become an existential threat instead of an opportunity for growth.
Strategies for Cultivating Resilience
In this article, I’ll share a blueprint with strategies and “pro tips” for leaders and managers looking for ways to cultivate resilience for themselves and their teams.
You’ll discover:
- The critical importance of leading with values
- Methods to foster well being and emotional intelligence
- Techniques for clear, goal-oriented, and transparent communication to keep your team aligned and focused
- Strategies to engage a multigenerational workforce effectively
- Approaches to professional development that upskill and fulfill your team
Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, these insights will equip you with the strategies to lead and thrive through change. Join me as we explore a blueprint for cultivating resilience through disruptive change and ensure you and your organization are ready for what’s next.
Always Lead with Your Values
Leading with values means authentically embedding your core beliefs and principles into every aspect of leadership – from daily decisions to long-term strategy. It starts with self-awareness and clearly defining personal and organizational values, then consistently demonstrating these through visible actions, not just words. Authentic values-based leadership requires courage to make difficult decisions that honor these principles, even when facing pressure to compromise. It means creating an environment where values guide conversations, shape decision-making frameworks, and inform how success is measured. Most importantly, it involves building trust through consistency between what you say and what you do while empowering others to align their actions with these shared values. The key is to make values tangible and actionable. When leaders genuinely lead with values, they create a culture of integrity and purpose that builds resilience, drives engagement, and delivers sustainable results that matter.
Prioritize Self-care and Well-Being
In times of constant change, self-care is not a luxury but a necessity, especially for leaders. It forms the foundation of effective leadership by enabling individuals to maintain their well-being, adaptability, cognitive abilities, and productivity. Prioritizing self-care means you can better manage stress over the long term and strengthen your resilience while maintaining positive energy to inspire and guide teams through turbulent times.
Effective self-care encompasses various aspects, including:
- Prioritizing work-life balance
- Ensuring adequate sleep
- Engaging in regular exercise
- Participating in activities that promote mental and physical well-being
- Allowing yourself time without work on the weekends so you can recharge
It’s equally important for leaders to encourage well-being within their teams, including:
- Creating an environment that values and supports well-being
- Providing psychological and physical wellness resources
- Offering flexible work arrangements
- Promoting a culture of support
- Respecting boundaries, especially off hours and weekends
Implementing these strategies will ensure your team feels valued and develops resilience in the face of change. Ultimately, prioritizing self-care strengthens your capacity to lead and cultivate a more adaptable, productive, and resilient team.
Lead with Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Alongside self-care, “soft skills,” including self-management, self-regulation, and self-awareness, are foundational. These “soft skills” comprise emotional intelligence (EQ), which is essential for cultivating resilience and managing effectively through the challenges and uncertainties of a dynamic environment.
Leading with EQ means developing awareness of yourself and your emotions and skillfully managing those of others. It starts with self-awareness, recognizing your emotional triggers, understanding how you affect others, being conscious of your non-verbal communication, responding thoughtfully rather than impulsively, and maintaining composure under pressure. Beyond self-mastery, EQ extends to social awareness – you’ve heard the phrase “reading the room” – social awareness is the ability to pick up on a colleague’s non-verbal cues and dynamics and show genuine empathy for others’ perspectives. Emotional intelligence culminates in relationship management, including having constructive, difficult conversations, giving balanced feedback, managing conflicts professionally, and building trust through consistent, authentic interaction.
Leading with EQ creates a more collaborative, productive, and harmonious workplace where challenges are handled effectively, and relationships thrive through change. By honing these skills and demonstrating emotional intelligence, you’ll be able to effectively guide your teams through extensive periods of change and foster a culture of adaptability and well-being.
Set Achievable Goals and Measure What Matters
In addition to values, it’s critical to establish a sense of purpose and vision, and leaders should measure what matters. Equally important is the clear and transparent communication of essential goals and objectives among the entire team. When everyone understands organizational and team goals and their role in achieving these objectives, it naturally fosters accountability, teamwork, and collaboration. This shared understanding aligns everyone’s efforts toward common goals, ultimately leading to greater productivity. Regular reviews of individual, team, and organizational goals and progress during team meetings, coupled with visible tracking with dashboards, keeping key objectives at the forefront of daily operations. This consistent visibility of goals and progress on essential initiatives maintains focus and allows for timely adjustments as strategy evolves or course corrections are required. When team members see how their daily efforts connect to meaningful progress in the context of the larger mission and what it means for them, they remain engaged and resilient even as objectives may evolve.
Communicate Frequently and Transparently
During accelerated change, transparent and frequent communication becomes essential, with regular feedback sessions as a vital tool. Create a platform for open dialogue to share information, listen, and encourage employees to freely express their ideas, concerns, and feedback. By ensuring every voice is heard and understood, you can keep your finger on the pulse of employee trust and morale, address communication gaps promptly, build mutual understanding, and keep the rumor mill in check. This approach fosters a culture of engagement, transparency, and trust.
Regular communication sessions do more than keep team members informed; they foster a resilient and adaptable workforce. Leveraging a mix of communication channels, from one-on-one interactions and all-hands events to digital platforms like Teams and Slack, can go a long way toward maintaining open lines of dialogue and real-time communication across teams. As employees become more comfortable sharing their thoughts, collaboration naturally increases, enhancing organizational problem-solving capabilities. By prioritizing clear and consistent communication across the organization, you can effectively guide your teams through transition periods, creating an environment of shared engagement, accountability, and collective strength.
Engage your Multigenerational Workforce through Inclusive Leadership
Leaders in today’s diverse workplace play a crucial role in fostering an inclusive environment that engages a multigenerational workforce. This requires a thoughtful approach that celebrates diversity and ensures every voice is heard, regardless of age or experience. Acknowledging and respecting each generation’s varied backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives creates a rich tapestry of ideas and insights. An inclusive leadership style validates each employee’s contributions and harnesses the collective wisdom of the entire team, driving innovation and adaptability in times of change. Actively cultivating mentorship and knowledge-sharing programs that bridge these generational gaps facilitates the exchange of ideas and experiences, allowing younger employees to benefit from the institutional knowledge of their more seasoned colleagues and giving veteran team members fresh perspectives from their younger counterparts.
Provide Professional Development for Future Ready Agile Teams
Building on the benefits of engaging a multigenerational workforce and upskilling your team in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape is beneficial and essential for developing future-ready teams. Professional development begins with a thorough assessment of the capabilities needed to ensure your organizations and teams are future-ready, a growth mindset, and investments in employee development and advancement. By carefully evaluating the talents and potential of your team, you can identify skill gaps and create targeted professional development opportunities. This proactive approach allows employees to stretch their abilities and grow and provides a path to ensure the right people are in the right roles.
Implementing a comprehensive upskilling strategy is a multi-faceted approach. Offering guidance and support through credentialing programs, mentorship initiatives, and talent rotations can significantly enhance your team’s capabilities and fill talent gaps. Talent rotations, such as temporary assignments to different departments or shadowing opportunities with leaders in various roles, provide valuable cross-functional experience. Investing in your team’s development bridges skill gaps and produces numerous benefits: reduced turnover, improved hiring decisions, leveraged institutional knowledge, and more apparent career progression paths. By nurturing your employees’ talents and aligning their growth with organizational needs, you create a resilient, adaptable team ready to tackle future challenges and drive your company’s success.
Bringing it All Together
In this era of disruptive change and unprecedented transformation, resilient leadership is essential for sustainable success. True resilience emerges from a comprehensive approach: leading authentically with values, setting clear and adaptable goals, maintaining transparent communication, fostering inclusive multigenerational teams, practicing emotional intelligence, prioritizing well-being, and investing in professional development. By incorporating these strategies, you can strengthen resilience, thrive through change, and position yourself, your team, and your organization for sustainable success.
Consider Partnering with an Executive Coach
Coaching is a practical approach for supporting leaders and teams to develop the necessary skills, mindset, and emotional resilience to adapt and navigate change. Investing in coaching provides leaders with personalized support and guidance to enhance their ability to navigate volatile times and critical decisions confidently.
If you’re ready to take the first step toward exploring how coaching can help your organization, leadership, and teams thrive and grow, let’s talk. I invite you to visit my website, TheOutcomesCoach, and schedule a complimentary discovery conversation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn Hillegass is the CEO and Founder of The Outcomes Coach and an ICF-certified executive coach with over 30 years of business experience and c-suite leadership in healthcare, technology, and emerging business sectors. She specializes in coaching tailored to the unique needs of individuals, teams, and organizations within the healthcare sector, including health services, life sciences, pharma, biotech, medtech, and digital health.
