In prioritizing the professional growth and development of existing staff when considering open mid-level leadership positions, MJHS aimed to build a leadership pipeline and increase the number of positions filled by internal candidates year over year.
The New York not-for-profit health system created its MJHS Leadership Certification Program to help achieve that goal. Program objectives include:
- Leaders will be able to use motivational drivers, emotional intelligence, and communication methods to establish a personal leadership style and apply it to overcome specific challenges.
- Leaders will be able to manage the conditions that drive team performance, coach colleagues, and share feedback in ways that enable them to develop, deliver, and foster teamwork and communication with MJHS, its clients, patients, and vendors.
- Leaders will learn to take charge of their team’s professional development and develop future leaders.
Program Details
The MJHS Leadership Certification Program is a comprehensive blended learning program that includes instructor-led training, as well as on-demand training that is self-paced and accessed through the organization’s learning management system. Curriculum content includes New Leader Orientation, Performance Management, and Hire Smart. The program is designed to be completed within six to 12 months.
Each participant has an advisor to support them through the completion of the program (something that had never been done with any other training program in the organization). The Chief HR Officer was a key contributor in the design and development of the CHRO Fireside Chat within the program and is the keynote for this segment.
Individuals are grouped together in cohorts based on their program start date. Cohorts average between 20 and 35 participants. In the group chat for these cohorts, there is constant sharing of best practices, obstacles and potential solutions, newly identified and relevant data, and the application of lessons learned from the program.
Following graduation from the program, the cohorts continue to meet quarterly to share how the program has and continues to help them be a great leader. They also become active contributors to the program by providing recommendations for improvement based on their experiences.
Results
Of the 430 leadership team members in the role of supervisor or above, 18 percent were either enrolled in or have completed the program since its launch on January 1, 2024.
In 2023, MJHS filled 91 open leadership positions with internal candidates. As of August 15, 2024, the organization filled 104 leadership positions with existing candidates. In addition, a program graduate recently filled a senior executive position when a chief officer retired.
