Making a More Strategic Contribution
Trained as a physician, Marvin Harper recently transitioned from his clinical role to become chief medical information officer for Boston Children's Hospital. The Program for Leadership Development (PLD) gave Dr. Harper the knowledge and vocabulary necessary to step confidently into his new position and tackle a broad array of business challenges.
Why was the time right for PLD?
As I have been drawn into strategy discussions, I have become more convinced that even very smart people don't automatically know the right thing to do. Greater participation in decision making brings a responsibility to understand the big picture—such as the impact of a decision on clinical care as well as on finances and other components of the institution. I attended PLD to develop broader business knowledge and skills so that I could sit down with colleagues, ask the right questions, and discuss business issues in a credible way.
How did peer interactions enhance your learning?
The peer group at PLD is remarkable—full of exceptionally high-caliber individuals. I learned as much from them as from the formal teaching. The living group discussions were particularly valuable for problem solving. Because people from different industries brought different perspectives, we could view one problem from many angles. It was good to realize that health care is not unique and that I can learn a lot from other industries.
How did the curriculum prepare you for the tasks you face at work?
We learned how to break down problems into their simplest components. I vividly remember one discussion where the x-axis represented an employee's people skills and the y-axis represented technical skills. We discussed the fact that it's very hard to find someone who has both of sets of skills at a high level. The take-away was that you need to craft the job so that a real individual will be able to perform it, rather than just creating a job that matches the task.
What has been the program's impact on you as a leader?
PLD has helped me as a team leader, a team strategist, and a team member. I learned that if you understand more about leadership and what comprises a good team, you'll be able to function better at any of those levels.
In addition, being well versed in the business vocabulary helps me feel comfortable in strategy discussions with executive committees and department chiefs. I can discuss business principles with confidence and speak with credibility—even in areas with which I'm less familiar, such as marketing, finance, and supply-chain management.
What advice do you have for organizations considering PLD?
PLD is a particularly useful program for molding your rising stars into strategic thinkers. Choose the people wisely, set clear expectations for why you are sending them, and then establish a framework for helping them put their new skills and knowledge to use. The program offers the opportunity to execute individual projects, and if the participants know that their efforts can deliver value for the organization, these exercises will be even more meaningful.