Overview

Most healthcare organizations aren't failing. They're underperforming - held back by the silent creep of indecision and governance structures that reward polished silence over early truth. Strategic Leadership When Time Is the Constraint is a practical governance framework for healthcare executives, board members, CFOs, and nonprofit leaders navigating the structural pressures now reshaping complex institutions. Through the story of Horizon Health System, the book examines how organizational drift compounds invisibly, how boards mistake oversight for governance, how silence becomes the rational choice when early truth carries risk - and what it takes to build systems that reverse each of these patterns. The book introduces four disciplines for governing decision pace in complex organizations: making time visible through forcing functions that compel decisions before delay becomes irreversible; surfacing risk early through governance structures that protect signal over silence; converting debate into sequencing through decision rights that are explicit at every level; and building cultures where early, incomplete truth is protected and polished silence is not. This is not a book about failing organizations. It is a book about capable organizations - functional, mission-driven, and slightly behind on decisions they have not yet been forced to make. Essential reading for healthcare executives, board members, CFOs, and governance professionals. Also valuable for leaders of nonprofits and complex institutions where accountability is diffuse and the cost of delay is routinely underpriced.

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9780997740363

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Reviews

""Strategic leadership in healthcare has always been critical, but perhaps never more important than during this transformative time. Mark Van Sumeren tells a riveting story that examines the roles of the Board and management, and how leaders' day-to-day judgment, along with the pace and timing of decision-making impact performance and strategic outcomes. I highly recommend this to all leaders seeking valuable insights to improve their leadership and results."" Nancy SchlichtingPresident and CEO, Henry Ford Health System (Retired)Director at Baxter International and Encompass HealthTrustee of Duke University Chair of Duke University Health System Board of Directors ""Mark has penned an artful book that successfully captures the critical challenges large health systems face today, providing important observations from both governance and management perspectives. He showcases the age-old balance of mission vs. margin that has challenged non-profit health systems for years but adds an appropriate spotlight on the reality that the current pace of change in healthcare demands bold action in order for systems not already financially vibrant to survive. He correctly emphasizes that proper prioritization of major initiatives and the ""need for speed"" in decision-making are no longer optional."" Jim MolloyExecutive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, Ochsner Health SystemFormer Managing Director and Head of Not-for-profit Healthcare, Citi""Having served as a senior executive leader of large integrated health systems, I found Strategic Leadership When Time Is the Constraint to be both insightful and highly relevant. Mark Van Sumeren offers a clear-eyed look at how even well-intentioned healthcare organizations can drift when governance, accountability, and decision pace fall out of alignment. This thoughtful book provides an important perspective for leaders and board members committed to sustaining mission-driven institutions in an increasingly complex healthcare environment."" Mark DixonPresident, Mark Dixon Group LLCFormer Regional President, Fairview Health ServicesFormer President/CEO, Community Hospitals of Indiana

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