Workforce Accelerator Solutions: McLeod Health Focusing on Effective Leadership

(Photo Credit: McLeod Health)

This series highlights the 11 hospitals and health systems in North and South Carolina participating in CaroNova’s Workforce Experience Accelerator, which is funded by The Duke Endowment. This week, we are showcasing the Management Development Institute and Foundations of Leadership programs at McLeod Health, a network of hospitals serving one million people in the Carolinas.

According to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report, only 31 percent of U.S. employees are engaged, the lowest level of engagement in a decade. Researchers also found that most of the recent downturn in employee engagement was the result of lower engagement among managers.

This trend is particularly alarming for hospitals and health systems looking to reduce employee turnover, as low engagement is considered the leading indicator of staff turnover.

McLeod Health is a network of seven hospitals serving more than one million people in South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina. When its Operations Team analyzed engagement and retention data at its seven hospitals, they found that departments with lower engagement were largely led by middle managers and supervisors who had not been given direct access to the consistent leadership development or executive alignment that McLeod’s Leadership Development Institute provided directors and above. Frontline leaders influence daily culture, which in turn impacts care delivery, employee experience, and organizational performance, so providing them with the support they need is essential for the organization’s overall success.

In reviewing its previous leadership development programs, McLeod also found that its Foundations of Leadership (FOL) program had limitations. At the time, FOL was a one-day event offered only 2-4 times per year. This resulted in inconsistent onboarding for new leaders, limited access across campuses, and content overload.

To address these gaps, McLeod participated in CaroNova’s Workforce Experience Accelerator program to realign and implement changes in the facilitation of its leadership training programs. The goal was to equip leaders with the skills, confidence, and consistency needed to improve engagement, retention, communication, and team culture across McLeod Health.

McLeod developed a two-part strategy: 1) The Management Development Institute (MDI), a systemwide full-day, energizing event, held twice a year for managers and supervisors, ensuring they receive the tools, expectations, and guidance from senior leadership required to lead effectively; and 2) a restructured Foundations of Leadership (FOL), with the one-day event being revamped into a seven-month virtual learning series focused on leadership competencies that drive engagement, communication, and retention.

By implementing this new strategy, McLeod removed previous barriers by creating a direct flow of leadership training to middle managers through a dedicated, structured development experience tailored specifically to their needs.

This approach reinforces McLeod’s values of Caring and The Person, as well as the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being – specifically advancing the essentials of Opportunity for Growth, Connection & Community, and Mattering at Work.

Learn more about the efforts of CaroNova and its partners to support patient care champions, such as McLeod Health, in implementing best practices and innovative strategies to improve the Carolinas healthcare workforce experience here.