Book Reviews by Lynne Cunningham

2008

• Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic: Prescriptions for Service Success is an outstanding contribution to the healthcare literature. It is thoroughly researched and well written. I was thrilled to be invited to review the pre-publication manuscript. The concept of Destination Medicine is one we should all incorporate into our organizations.
• Physician Entrepreneurs: Marketing Toolkit is an A to Z resource for the practice marketer who is a novice and is a guide for physicians wanting to learn to market a practice. The book includes tips on how to do things and a CD-ROM with examples. It’s a great resource.
• The Speed of Trust: The one thing that changes everything by Stephen M.R. Covey is excellent. He’s the son of THE Stephen Covey and I resisted getting the book until Sylvia Berkey of Licking Memorial in Newark, OH insisted. It really is outstanding and I think you’ll get a flavor from my review.
• 10 Powerful Ideas for Improving Patient Care – Book 4 by Maureen Bisognano and James Conway is also excellent. The book is filled with practical tips for improving clinical quality as well as patient satisfaction.

2007

It’s been a busy year for all of us and as it’s winding down, I’d like to offer my recommendations for best books of 2007. This is something I’ve done for probably 15 years since the days I was on – and then chaired – the ACHE Book of the Year Committee. I’d been wondering why my eyes were feeling tired this year. I know it’s not age! Well, I reviewed 40 books in 2007. That’s considerably up from my typical two dozen and obviously speaks to a lot of time on airplanes where most of the reading occurs.

So, as you are preparing for your own holiday celebrations, let me share my recommendations for 2007. There may be a last-minute holiday gift here for someone.

If you only read one book from my list read:

• Results That Last: Hardwiring Behaviors That Will Take Your Company to the Top by Quint Studer. Quint Studer’s long-awaited new book for general business is out and well worth the wait. Health care leaders should read the book to gain a fresh perspective on why the Studer Group Principles, Must Haves and Evidence-Based Leadership best practice tools are such valuable assets in the leadership toolkit. If your health care leadership role is outside acute care, Results That Last will make it easier for you to “relate not compare” when you learn about the various Studer Group tools. This book, however, is really written for those outside health care. For the first time, a health care leader has written a book of lessons that leaders in other businesses can use. I felt proud as I read the book knowing that tools which have made such a remarkable difference in health care organizations can also be applied in other industries. Each chapter starts with a “why this chapter is important” section and ends with “key points for hardwiring results.” Quint doesn’t want anyone to miss the key points and lose opportunities to get results that will last. The book is classic Quint. The writing style is conversational. The stories and letters are there to tug at your heartstrings and illustrate key points. There are lots of examples from outside of health care to make the points that these are tools that work across industries.

If you read two books, add:

• Gold Standard Management: The key to high-performance hospitals by V. Clayton Sherman and Stephanie G. Sherman. This is a very energizing book. It’s a quick read because the concepts make so much sense and are presented in an easy-to-read, well-organized manner. The Sherman’s present a message of hope – excellent leaders with attention to a vision and clear accountabilities really can make a difference in health care.

If you’re a Baby Boomer thinking about the next stage in your life, I’d recommend adding two more books:

• Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges.
• Courage: the backbone of leadership by Gus Lee

If you want to add a general business book, the two best ones I read this year were:

• Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader: How you and your organization can manage conflict effectively by Craig E. Runde and Tim A. Flanagan. Most of us can’t avoid conflict. But we can learn to work through conflicts more quickly and productively. This book has excellent tips for resolving work place conflict with co-workers. The suggestions can easily be adapted to personal and other non-work situation. Full of practical, easy-to-use tools.
• Death by Meeting: A leadership fable about solving the most painful problem in business by Patrick Lencioni. An outstanding book that every leader who chairs or participates in meetings needs to read. The fable is easy-to-read and the model is simple to follow. It’s practical advice for a common business challenge – too many, non-productive meetings.

Then there were five books written by colleagues, friends, or partners. All are exceptional and have lessons we can each learn from:

• Why is everyone smiling? How to turn a commodity business into a great place to work by Paul Spiegelman
• Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow: Improved Outcomes, Improved Service, Improved Bottom Line by Kirk Jensen, Thom A. Mayer, Shari J. Welch, Carol Haraden
• We Carry Each Other: Getting through life’s toughest times; what to say, what to do, how to care with compassion by Eric and Sharon Langshur
• Health Care Co-ops in Uganda: Effectively launching micro health groups in African villages by George Halvorson
• True North by Bill George

And finally, I’d like to recommend four health care books which I think were particular valuable:

• The Complete Guide to Hospital Marketing by Patrick T. Buckley. I wish this book had been available when I was teaching health care marketing graduate classes. Good glossary. Good summaries for each chapter. I really liked the “you be the marketer” sections at the end of each chapter for self assessment or use in a health care marketing course.
• 10 Powerful Ideas for Improving Patient Care – Book 3 by Maureen Bisognano and Robert Lloyd. The book is filled with dozens of practical tips for improving clinical quality as well as patient satisfaction.
• Collaborate for Success! Breakthrough Strategies for Engaging Physicians, Nurses and Hospital Executives by Kenneth H. Cohn. The book is filled with dozens of practical tips for improving clinical quality as well as patient satisfaction.
• Relationship-Based Care: A model for transforming practice edited by Mary Koloroutis. A very good book about change in the health care environment. The examples are very nursing-centric – but that’s certainly a key target audience for health care leaders. Several excellent tools with broad application.

Yes, it’s a long list but I think there are recommendations here for everyone. Happy Holidays. I hope 2008 will be a good year for you. Bring along a great book and enjoy the reading.