Scott Webb (Host): The emerging leader program at Summa Health began in 2021, and it's been a big success. And though not all participants feel that they're ready to lead people at the beginning of their cohorts, 95% or more feel prepared for that type of leadership role when they're done. If you have a passion for leadership, the rest can be taught. And here to tell us more today, Sarah Doty. She's a Development Consultant with Summa Health.

 This is Healthy Vitals, a podcast from Summa Health. I'm Scott Webb. Sarah, it's nice to have you here today. We're going to talk about the Emerging Leader Program at Summa Health, which sounds exciting and I'm glad to have this conversation. So, let's just start there. What is the Emerging Leader program at Summa Health?

Sarah Doty: So, Emerging Leader is an 11-month-long program that's ultimately designed to just prepare individuals to become leaders of people. And here at Summa, this program is open to all positions, including both clinical and nonclinical, so really just if you have a desire to one day be a people leader. And with this program, there are four main components. The first is self-reflection, where our emerging leaders have the opportunity to learn about themselves, identify areas of strength, as well as area of opportunity.

They'll learn about their behavioral and communication tendencies, as well as things like emotional intelligence. So, that's the first component. Our second component of the program is building relationships and networking. So, our emerging leaders have the opportunity to network with the experts, some presenters that I bring in to speak to the cohort, as well as the opportunity to network throughout. We are very intentional throughout the application process to ensure that those accepted into the cohort are diverse and dynamic. So, networking within the cohort is equally as important.

The third is our emerging leaders can learn more about our organization. They get to see who works here, what does the internal structure of Summa Health look like. They get little bit of a microscope, so to speak, into Summa's culture, our values, our mission, our vision. And last, but certainly not least, they learn about what type of leader they want to be and what impact they want to have on others. So, our very first learning session, we talk about finding your why, why do you want to be a leader and what type of impact do you want to have on others?

Host: Right. Yeah, and I know the program was conceived in 2021. And I'm assuming there's been some evolution, if you will. So, maybe talk about that a little bit, the Emerging Leader Program Evolution, since its inception.

Sarah Doty: This program was actually brought over by my supervisor, Joan Riemer, who is absolutely wonderful. I love questions like this because I'm a really big numbers girl. Math is actually my background, so I love just to see our stats and our numbers climbing since its inception in 2021.

So when Emerging Leader first started, it started with one group, one cohort of 16 individuals, and this number continued to climb throughout cohort two. And cohort three is actually when I personally started. Right now, we're on cohort four of Emerging Leader. And with this cohort, we received a record number of applications and we identified so many areas of talent that we accepted 76 individuals from over 30 different areas throughout the organization. So, these 76 individuals are actually split into three separate groups that are currently taking place right now new to cohort four, as well as we brought in select interviews for the application process. So, we wanted to give some folks the opportunity not only to demonstrate why they wanted to be a part of the Emerging Leader program and why this is important to them. But we wanted to give them the opportunity to meet with us face to face to really demonstrate those skills as well. So throughout that process, we brought in over 20 different evaluators throughout the organization just to ensure it was comprehensive and fair. But it's been wonderful watching that number continue to climb and really watching this program get off the ground.

Host: Right. Yeah. And you mentioned why. Like, that's become a very popular question is what's your why, right? So, why is cultivating emerging leaders so important in today's workplace?

Sarah Doty: Really three main reasons for cultivating emerging leaders. The first, and in my opinion, one of the most important is investing in our folks shows that the organization values growth. This boosts morale, it boosts retention, and these folks are a lot more invested in an organization that's invested in them. It really allows our folks to be the very best that they can be.

The second reason is as seasoned professionals retire or transition, basically as change happens, right? Organizations need capable, empowered individuals to step in, and this helps ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption to that process.

And last but not least, healthcare is changing and it's modernizing. I think that's something we can all agree with, right? And new emerging leaders can bring such a fresh perspective to things. They also continue to challenge the status quo in the very best way.

Host: Right. Yeah. Keep us older folks on our toes, right?

Sarah Doty: Yeah.

Host: You're probably much younger than I am though. So, what's covered in the Emerging Leader Program? Let's go through that for folks.

Sarah Doty: Yeah. So, we have monthly learning sessions that are covered by myself or I bring in different various experts from throughout the organization. We cover different topics such as decision-making, problem-solving, how to adapt to organizational change, as well as overcoming obstacles. We talk through emotional intelligence assessments, what our emerging leaders' communication and behavioral styles are, how to communicate to influence. We have an opportunity for volunteerism throughout the cohort where we can kind of go off the Summa turf and give back to our local community at our Akron, Canton Food Bank. The list goes on, the different topics that we cover throughout the cohort.

I also want to mention that our emerging leaders work on a Capstone project outside of the cohort. So, they have the opportunity to kind of go outside of their everyday job responsibilities where they can say, "How can we make our organization be the very best we can be?" So with this capstone project, they identify an area where they can directly impact and implement change, and present out those findings at the end of the cohort.

Host: Yeah. So then, what can folks hope to gain from the Emerging Leader Program?

Sarah Doty: First and foremost, leadership skills, of course, right? Emerging Leader Program. With those leadership skills, identify and continue to build on their presentational skills, how to lead teams, how to manage conflict, resiliency, overcoming obstacles, the list goes on. They ultimately learn about what type of leader they want to be one day.

We also work on confidence-building and communicating up. Career development is another. So, I bring in our talent acquisition team to help our emerging leaders build their resume and learn about different opportunities that might be available to them throughout the organization. Mentorship and networking is another biggie where they have the opportunity not only to create those long-lasting relationships with the presenters and the experts that I bring into the cohort, but also with each other. And lastly, organizational insight where they can really see how Summa functions at various different levels.

Host: Yeah. And it makes me wonder, it's such an exciting program and obviously has, you know, gone through some changes since 2021. But Sarah, can anyone be a leader? Is that a thing, right? That anyone can just step forward and raise their hand and say, "I want to be a part of this. I want to be a leader"?

Sarah Doty: That's a great question and a very popular one at that. The short answer to this, Scott, is yes, leadership is a potential that exists within every single person. That said, leadership is also a skill that needs to be developed through experience, feedback, and training. So really, what the emerging leader program does is it connects people who are passionate with the tactical skills in order to be a people leader. Everyone can be a leader if they have the passion and everything else can be taught.

Host: Yeah. I like that as you say, right? Some things can be taught, some things can't. If you have the passion, that's the foundation for this. And it makes me wonder, you know, when we think about the participants, like what has surprised them about themselves, right? I'm sure they're learning about themselves through this journey in the Emerging Leader Program.

Sarah Doty: Yeah. A lot of folks throughout the program, I've noticed assume leadership is about giving direction or maybe there's only one right way of doing things. We talk throughout emerging leader a lot about the importance of servant leadership, meaning being flexible according to the needs of the folks on your team, being a servant to those that we lead, right? And meeting people where they're at. So, it's important. And it continues to surprise our emerging leaders that there's not one right or wrong leadership style. I've also found that emerging leaders are surprised that their challenges are shared by others. Very grateful for the experts and leaders throughout the organization that come in and not only share their role here at Summa Health, but their leadership journey because they are so vulnerable and honest about how they got to where they are today. And I think it's a great reminder to our emerging leaders that maybe if they're experiencing, say, imposter syndrome or the need to continue to build up their confidence, what have you, oftentimes those are obstacles that aren't just experienced by them.

Host: Right. Shared experiences, I'm sure. And you mentioned earlier just how much the numbers have gone up. You mentioned you're kind of a math and numbers person, and I'm sure that's one way of measuring success, Sarah, but how do you measure the success of the Emerging Leader program?

Sarah Doty: Yeah. Another question that I love just because, as you mentioned Scott, I am such a big numbers girl. So proud to mention that a hundred percent of our Emerging Leader graduates would say that they would recommend this program to others. So as I mentioned previously, I am a big numbers girl. I love looking at the data. Of course, frequently get feedback from our emerging leaders after every monthly learning session that we have. But at the beginning of the cohort and at the end of the cohort, I have different areas that I measure our emerging leaders in. And there's one particular question that I really want to hone in on that we're really proud of. And it asks emerging leaders, it says, "Right now, I would feel comfortable being a people leader." And in our last cohort at the very beginning, only 36% of the respondents said that they would agree, whereas at the end of the cohort, that number went from 36 to 95 saying that they would feel comfortable being a people leader. So, it's really cool to watch these numbers continue to climb, and watching our emerging leaders gain confidence throughout the process.

The Emerging Leader Program is intentionally not position-focused. I always say it's kind of like a feather in your leadership cap, so to speak, to build on your leadership skills. But that, again, I do not want to negate the 45 upward or lateral movements that we've had as well for our emerging leader graduates.

Host: Yeah, this has been great today. I love learning things and I love learning about the Emerging Leader Program and just how exciting it all is and the growth over the last few years. Let's finish up here and just for those folks who-- you know, and we said that anyone can be a leader, especially if they have the foundation, the passion, right? But what do you tell someone who might be unsure if they're, you know, ready to lead?

Sarah Doty: I would say the uncomfortable is where the magic happens. You don't have to feel ready to start. And quite honestly, most great leaders felt that way. Leadership really begins when you step up in moments of uncertainty and don't always have the answers, but you still put yourself out there. So for anyone that's listening that might be a little unsure, I want you to have three takeaways from this conversation. I want you to remember that leadership isn't about title, but it's rather taking initiative, influencing others, and helping a team move forward. I want you to embrace learning rather than perfection. You're human and you're going to make plenty of mistakes, and that's okay. We learn from our mistakes and we learn from those experiences.

And last but certainly not least, I want you to believe in the value that you bring. Believe in your authenticity, your empathy, your care, because those are such powerful leadership tools to have. And in those moments where maybe you're feeling a little unsure about yourself, it's always wonderful to have someone in your corner that you can lean on who believes you and can help build you up. I've done that with my own supervisor a number of times, and I'm so grateful for that support that she provides me as well.

Host: I'm sure we've all, if we think back over our lives, whether it was our parents or employers or teammates, we've all had people we could lean on, be they mentors or otherwise. So, really good stuff today. Thank you so much.

Sarah Doty: Absolutely. Thank you so much, Scott, for having me.

Host: And to learn more about the Emerging Leader Program at Summa Health, you can follow them on LinkedIn and subscribe to their monthly newsletter, Vital for Leaders. And if you enjoyed this episode of Healthy Vitals, we'd love it if you'd leave us a review. Your review helps others find our educational content. I'm Scott Webb. Thanks for listening, and we'll talk again next time.