As we near the two-year mark with the (ever-growing) team preparing for the Sheltering Arms Institute hospital, our culture change activities are becoming significantly more tangible. A new leadership team is in place, dozens of new managers have been hired, and the interview process for several hundred additional employees is underway. The new hospital is set to open in June.
Hiring a brand new team for a brand new organization is a once-in-a-career opportunity for many of SAI’s team leaders. For our team, led by Serena Fulton, creating a clear and compelling Culture Statement was an important milestone. The Culture Statement sets the tone for new leaders, and provides clarity for managers as they think about – and hire for – both a new culture and their own vision for their best team. (Take a look at the SAI Culture Statement.)
In addition to helping SAI leaders craft the Culture Statement, we have been busy putting shape around a Leadership Launch event for dozens of newly hired SAI managers – and a combination Leader Guide/Journal for these leaders to use through June to capture their reflections on their transition to the new hospital.
The Culture Statement, the Leadership Launch, and the Leader Guide are all elements we’re helping the SAI team put in place to smooth the transition of new employees and teams. While the majority of the new hospital’s employees should be hired by February, the hospital doesn’t open until June – and the majority of the new employees have existing jobs, existing teams, and existing patients.
Creating tools and resources to smooth the transition, and to effectively onboard teams whose employees may currently be working at Sheltering Arms or VCU Health, or elsewhere, is essential. In the end, part of our success will be defined by new managers poised to develop and share their vision, engage and build relationships with their new teams, and be ready to welcome new patients in June.