Keep it casual
One of the other leadership lessons DeFurio has learned is to keep things casual whenever possible.
For example, he wants what is best for the patients of Butler Health System. So, when employees make wrong decisions, but they made the decision with the patient’s best interest in mind, he’s OK with that. After all, DeFurio has walked in their shoes and while he doesn’t pretend to know their jobs, he remembers the pressure they are under.
“I’ve never forgotten these jobs are hard,” he says. “The folks we serve are very sick. You could work Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and forget that there are people working their hearts out at 3 o’clock in the morning on a Saturday night. Having been there and done that, I’ve never forgotten that you always need to stay close to that.”
If there is logic behind a mistake or a wrong decision, you want to handle it more informally. DeFurio or a manager would casually explain the situation to the person, rather than have him or her come to an office and feel like he or she is being disciplined by the principal.
“It’s much more informal,” he says. “I’d probably say it’s more of a hallway conversation kind of thing. Pull them aside, arm around the shoulder and say, ‘Look, you could have pitched that ball a little bit differently and let’s talk about that.’ Try to make it very nonthreatening because … there is a perceived hierarchy and power structure that any CEO needs to be very conscious of. It takes work to remove some of those psychological barriers that I believe are more art
ificial than real.”
DeFurio especially sees younger executives come in with a hierarchical and bureaucratic approach to leading.
“(It’s) not because they are intending to do anything negative,” he says. “It’s natural. You think that’s how you achieve results through folks. What I always suggest to folks is to take a deep breath. Everybody has a brain in their head, regardless of what their title is. Try to let folks talk and understand what is going on. Don’t draw conclusions until you’ve done your job in gathering all the appropriate information from whatever stakeholder group it may be.”
If DeFurio sees a manager going down the wrong path or making mistakes, he won’t immediately jump in. You want to give him or her the time to work out situations on his or her own.
“You step in when you start to see the overall goals of the organization or maybe the goals of the department are at risk,” he says. “That’s when you step in. If things can be done better, but you are working toward the goal, then it’s little tweaks of advice.
“If there is something really going south and you are worried about the morale in the department or the goals are not going to be met, that kind of thing, then you step in a little bit more strongly and try to get that course corrected. Everybody deserves the opportunity to succeed regardless of the level in the organization.”
Even for a more serious mistake that costs the organization money, DeFurio takes a more informal approach.
“The game here is not to make money,” he says. “Yes, you have to have a bottom line to thrive and to succeed and grow and be there for the future. But, we’re here to serve patients and to provide care and as long as decisions were made in the best interest of the patient and of the patient’s family. Even if it was costly, that’s OK, because it was done with the patient in mind.”
While it’s possible to be too informal, DeFurio still prefers to lean that way as a leader, as opposed to being more formal when discussing a mistake.
“Somebody said to me one time that presidents of companies need to act presidential,” he says. “I think it was a different way of saying, ‘Be more formal than informal.’ I think for some folks that probably from personality- and style-wise works well for them. I do think you always need to be aware of that public presence and the fact that people are watching you.
“For me personally, I have found that the informal approach works better than the formal approach more often than not. That includes even with my board. We have formal board meetings with agendas and things you have to do, but I just try to talk to them in the boardroom as if I were talking to them sitting in my family room about a particular issue. It’s being honest and direct and answering any questions folks have.”
If you lead with a more formal style, it may put a stranglehold on your employees’ ability to think as individuals. You have to come in with an open mind when it comes to mistakes because it isn’t someone’s intention to do wrong.
“Not everything is going to be a success 100 percent of the time,” he says. “As long as you are open and honest and forthright about what went well and what didn’t go so well, you don’t punish people. I do have this fundamental belief that everybody does come to work wanting to do a good job and sometimes things don’t turn out the way you want to.”
How to reach: Butler Health System, (724) 283-6666 or www.butlerhealthsystem.org
