This book is for average Americans who want to improve their life; the corporation that is preparing for or preventing turbulent times; the CEO who is leading a turnaround of his or her company; and the healthcare executives that are preparing for upcoming healthcare reform. We must be prepared to deal with these challenges. This book is about being more prepared to effectively lead change and adapt in turbulent times related to personal and corporate health as well as business relative organizational development and transformation. The goal is to land safely and be stronger to handle change in the future.

LEADING CHANGE IN TURBULENT TIMES

HOW EFFECTIVE LEADERS EXECUTE CHANGE AND LAND SAFELY IN HEALTH AND BUSINESSBy MICHAEL S. LAWSON

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Michael S. Lawson, MBA
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-9290-4

Contents

Preface...........................................................................viiChapter 1. Emergency Planning Framework...........................................1Chapter 2. Health Crisis and Protein Diet Impact..................................5Chapter 3. Turbulence of Life.....................................................13Chapter 4. Adapting to Transition of Change.......................................17Chapter 5. Historical Visionary Leadership in Turbulent Times.....................21Chapter 6. Culture Change.........................................................31Chapter 7. Leading Change.........................................................37Chapter 8. Superior Structure Design..............................................41Chapter 9. Financial Sense of Urgency.............................................47Chapter 10. Renewing the Core.....................................................53Chapter 11. Growth Strategy in a Crisis...........................................55Chapter 12. Preparing for Health Care Reform......................................59Chapter 13. Health Care Case Studies..............................................63Chapter 14. Conclusions...........................................................91About the Author..................................................................93

Chapter One

EMERGENCY PLANNING FRAMEWORK

"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order." —Alfred Whitehead

One thing that is guaranteed in life is constant change; therefore we should always expect the unexpected and be prepared for any emergency that may occur related to our organizations, jobs, family, financial situation, or health. We never know which situation may occur, however I guarantee an emergency will happen.

Emergencies are part of our ongoing journey in life. It may be a minor emergency or a major crisis regardless of the severity, a structure and plan should be in place to manage the turbulent situation. Without a plan and structure, fragmented and uncoordinated efforts may occur, resulting in time loss, resources untapped, and a recurring problem.

An emergency or crisis could be mounting financial losses, unemployment, closure of a business, divorce, or loss of a life. An emergency plan must have a framework in order to respond and manage the crisis. The following should be executed and in place:

? The leader must authorize the implementation of the emergency plan and develop a team.

? The crisis, emergency, or turbulent situation must be announced. ? The current status must be communicated and a plan developed. ? An emergency plan specific to the situation must be identified. ? The leader should assign an emergency action plan opened and a turnaround command leader. ? An information officer must develop a team and a communication plan. ? Actions must first ensure health and safety of self, personnel, family, or organization. ? The leader should assign liaison responsibility in order to deal with employees, family, and agencies. ? The leader should assign an operations leader to begin emergency operations and the turnaround plan. ? Time frames must be established to regroup and report status updates. ? Status updates must be documented and used for interventions and education. ? Plans must continue to be executed until the situation is resolved and turned around.

TURNAROUND MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH AND BUSINESS

"Organizational change begins with leaders who walk the talk by transforming themselves." —Stratford Sherman

A turnaround can involve an individual or corporation experiencing turbulent times in which some type of disaster must be prevented or stopped. Has there ever been a time in your life when you knew it was time for a change? You or your organization may have experienced a death in the family, a loss of job(s), mounting financial losses, ongoing stressful problems in a relationship, or unhealthy habits affecting health.

There are people who develop bad habits such as overeating, smoking, drinking, or excessive debt. These habits can lead to numerous problems—obesity and diabetes, lung cancer and heart disease, liver disease and pancreatic cancer, or even divorce and bankruptcy.

Even corporations develop unfavorable habits and cultures that lead to over hiring, autocratic management style, poor strategic policy execution, untimely product and service delivery, and high levels of debt. The outcomes of these ways of practice lead to very high labor expense ratios, overly controlling management, low employee morale, increasing financial losses, and declines in market share.

Regardless whether the situation applies to an individual or a corporation, evidence shows a turnaround is necessary. People have stopped smoking, lost more than one hundred pounds, lowered their blood pressure, and even beat cancer. Corporations have reorganized their excessively layered structures, thereby reducing the staff and expense base; introduced new products, which increased revenue; and established new cultures that improved employee morale, service delivery, and customer satisfaction.

Now it is time for you to take the lead in these turbulent times in order to begin the turnaround management process. It begins with a transition process that includes a macro- and microanalysis of the targeted individual or organization, and it develops into the creation of an initial turnaround plan.

In the transition process there are three objectives that must be achieved:

1. Identify stakeholders who will be crucial to the turnaround 2. Obtain and review all relevant and accurate data to understand the person or organization 3. Set up interviews, meetings, and evaluations to identify areas that need immediate attention

It is also important to establish a task force or team of people and clearly communicate purpose, scope of responsibility, specific objectives, needs, and assignments to the team. This team can provide a report of the structure and performance metrics, a diagnosis of problems, current mitigations, and future recommendations for turnaround.

Before recommendations can be suggested, there first must be an understanding of the symptoms. For example, the following habitual signs and symptoms can contribute to chronic diseases such as heart and kidney diseases, cancer, and diabetes.

? Smoking ? Blurred vision, weight loss, abrupt fatigue, dehydration ? Untreated blood pressure higher than 130/90 for extended period of time ? Aerobic exercise less than 3 days per week and 30 minutes per day ? High consumption of saturated fat and sugar ? Total cholesterol > 200, LDL > 130, HDL > 45, and Triglycerides > 200 ? Daily alcohol consumption exceeding two drinks ? Body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher

Sustaining a healthy ideal body weight can prevent chronic diseases and prevent the need for a weight reduction turnaround plan. The table below shows the classifications and ideal body mass index.

Classifications Body Mass Index

Underweight...