Measure the progress
Molina of Michigan has what Thomas terms a “scorecard culture.” In order to measure the progress of improvement in the areas of profitability, membership and quality, Thomas and his leadership team keep track of the metrics linked to those areas, graphing them and looking for trends.
“It’s very much like football, basketball or baseball,” Thomas says. “You know the progress you’re making because you’re keeping track of the score. You’re keeping track of the boundaries and all the things you need to be doing to advance the ball. We make sure that we scorecard not only all of the activities we perform but also the results, the things we want to get accomplished.
“We put together graphs that regularly show the improvement that we have in one metric over another. We are constantly proving to ourselves that we are making the progress we need to make, that we are watching a trend … moving in the direction we want it to move. You’re looking for trend lines moving in the right direction, and you are regularly communicating and giving feedback to all who touch that priority to make sure you are accomplishing what you want to accomplish.”
Measuring metrics is one of the ways in which Thomas has gained input on the progress of Molina. The statistics and analysis reported by his management team have helped him refine the direction of the company.
It plays into Thomas’ overall philosophy that good leaders are good followers who take as many viewpoints as possible into consideration before making a decision — as long as a decision is ultimately made.
“As a leader, you have to be very respectful of the guidance you receive,” he says. “You have to be collaborative to a certain extent, without being democratic. Democratic is where you wait until you have total consensus or majority rule. But sometimes you won’t get that majority rule, and you have insights as the president of the company that others don’t have.
“I try to take into consideration the views and perspectives of others, but the buck ultimately stops with the person in charge, the person who has accountability. I know where my go and no-go decision points are. I know what my deadlines are for achieving consensus and whether I have it or not [and I know when] I need to move on.
“If you’re staying relevant to policy, the budget and the guidance of the company charter, having a majority consensus is less relevant than staying true to those things. That’s why a good leader has to be a good follower.”
