Focus, Discipline, Success
Meet Howard Kern:
Howard P. Kern is among the most innovative healthcare leaders in the country. Throughout his 42 years of health care management, he has a strong track record of executive leadership success. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sentara Healthcare, from 2016 through August, 2022 and now serves as CEO Emeritus, advising the CEO and Board of Directors on strategy and policy issues and programs. Mr. Kern has led numerous strategic initiatives to achieve performance goals relating to significant organic and merger/acquisition enabled growth and financial success as well as improvement in clinical care, consumer experience, and operational outcomes at Sentara.
Key Insights:
Howard Kern’s executive experience has led him to some important insights on leadership:
Think Ahead. Kern suggests that the role of a CEO is comparable to a chess game: one must think ahead—not just one move, but five or six moves in advance.
Plan Ahead. Aspiring leaders must plan their careers intentionally. Kern suggests that young people can keep the idealism as long as they understand the trade-offs.
Diversity of Thought. It’s crucial for any sizeable company to have leadership that is willing to give voice to a variety of different and even divergent perspectives.
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