by Nick Jacobs

As I approach my retirement from running a hospital Tony asked me to write some thoughts regarding this position.

Remember, no matter how far you push the envelope; it still ends up to be stationery.

The primary reason that I wanted to be the President/CEO was so that I would have the power to make things happen. After nearly thirty years of working to achieve that status in healthcare; after three degrees, two certifications and a fellowship, when the mantle of power was finally bestowed upon me, I made a choice to “never be a president like the majority of the presidents who had been in charge of me.” My primary motivation for this path was that, for the most part, their leadership had not felt very rewarding or productive. The discomfort that they had caused both me and my family was why I wanted to become the boss.

It was my dream to become a benevolent despot, a kind and reasonable leader who cared about his co-workers, but clearly was in charge.

Read more!

by Nick Jacobs

Upon entering the world of healthcare management, it only took about a week for me to “get it” regarding the realities of the job. Having started my adult work life as a professional musician, band and orchestral director, the structure of a hospital was so similar that it was, in fact, almost disconcerting. Obviously, the entire ensemble was in some way reportable to me, and, not unlike standing on the conductor’s podium and looking into the music score in front of you, running a hospital had dozens of departments, each with specific assignments and each interconnected. For me, a Systems Approach to running a hospital was not only necessary, it was also imperative.

Read more!