by Tony Chen

Not every day that a hospital CEO is featured in mainstream media. Jim Citrin, a columnist for Yahoo Finance, wrote an article on Ochsner CEO, Dr. Patrick Quinlan, applauding the resourceful, dedicated, and nimble organizational culture he's created. Quinlan and his crew have been an inspiration and a beacon of light for the folks in New Orleans.

Dr. Quinlan stresses that it's the job of management to support the decision-making of employees on the frontlines. "Fear robs people of their ability to make decisions," he said. "If they feel they'll get in trouble, people will avoid making decisions, leading to inaction. But at Ochsner, whatever we do has a common path. There are no recriminations.

"When the crunch time came [during Katrina]," he continues, "our people exercised calm courage and selfless behavior. They saw problems and owned them. Their attitude was, 'We're just doing our jobs,' and 'What can I do to help?'" What did Dr. Quinlan himself do to help? For one thing, he led from the front. "You have to be there with your people. I stayed in the office for seven weeks straight."