Defining key qualities for transformational leadership: Engages others

Defining key qualities for transformational leadership: Engages others

Article five of five 

Three years ago – to further drive our Bold. Forward. strategy for healthcare transformation by developing the workforce of the future – we revamped our traditional, incremental approach to leadership development and prioritized five core competencies that are critical for successful leadership at Mayo Clinic.   

Competency 5: Engages others 

In times of transformation, we need leaders who engage with others to guide change. People with this competency navigate ambiguity by remaining grounded in our core values while helping others in the organization see the benefits of change.  

One of Mayo Clinic’s founders, Charlie Mayo, M.D., famously said, "Today the only thing that is permanent is change." This is just as important today as when he said it more than 90 years ago. Leaders must become master change agents, while remaining servant leaders, which means they must be dedicated to our primary value – the needs of the patient come first – while building consensus around innovative, unconventional ways to accomplish it.   

Ajani Dunn (AJ), chief administrative officer of Mayo Clinic in Florida, embraces ambiguity and complexity and is an excellent example of “engages others” to lead change.   

In 2019, Ajani (AJ) Dunn, FACHE, led our effort to establish Advanced Care at Home, which offers acute, inpatient-level care to people in the comfort of their own homes. 

Realizing the critical need for more flexible care options during the pandemic, AJ helped Mayo bring together multiple elements, including our Platform, our internal digital health teams and an external implementation partner, Medically Home , to create a more seamless hospital-at-home care experience. Even amid significant ambiguity, AJ deftly surrounded himself with a network of stakeholders and experts —from nursing and physician leaders to supply chain and IT teams — to help shape a vision for the new program. 

To foster support for the new program, AJ consistently connected every aspect of the project back to its primary goal of improving patient care, emphasizing that the new care model would enable patients to heal in the comfort of their own homes and manage their conditions in a familiar environment.  

By embedding the program’s patient-centered vision in all aspects of his leadership, AJ helped foster both enthusiasm and commitment to making the care model a success. Today, more than 29,500 patients have been treated through this care model, and studies have shown that hospital-quality care at home has reduced infections and falls, and improved patient outcomes and satisfaction. 

Over the last five days, I’ve described five core leadership competencies to spur patient-centered healthcare transformation. These competencies – Leads Self, Leads Others, Inspires Others, Forward Thinking and Engages Others (L-LIFE) – equip leaders with the skills to drive our Bold. Forward. strategy, foster collaboration, and deliver Category-of-One care to our patients. In redefining our approach to leadership development, we are not only preparing our leaders for today’s challenges but also building a framework that will sustain leadership excellence for decades into the future.  

Vi-Anne Antrum, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, FACHE

C-Suite|Executive|Operations|Strategist|Leader| ACHE Regent for North Carolina

1d

Congratulations and love seeing this AJ aka Ajani Dunn!!!🎉🎉🎉

Paul Sapia

Collaborative and Creative Healthcare Leader | Experienced in Population Health, Developing Partnerships and building innovative solutions.

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Great job AJ!

David Cato

Senior Healthcare Executive, Transformative and Collaborative Leader, Specialist Integrating Health System and Service Line Care Delivery

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Congrats and Well Done AJ!

Cheryl Willman, M.D.

The Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Enterprise Executive Director @ Mayo Clinic | MD Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center - Minnesota, Arizona, Florida

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Congratulations to AJ Dunn - it is a pleasure to work with you! A leader who develops and executes in strategy and mentors others so very well!!

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