Read What Your CEO Reads

(November 2010) -- Even the most seasoned marketing pro can find it challenging to keep up with the changing healthcare industry. Sometimes, however, the biggest challenge is staying attuned to what your CEO and CFO believe are the key drivers of that change -- the things that can cause the dreaded "about face.”

So how do you read the minds of your C-suite and anticipate their thoughts and concerns? Start by reading the publications your bosses read.

This tip was submitted to us at this year's SHSMD conference by Terri McNorton, vice president of marketing and communications at Baton Rouge General Medical Center in Louisiana.

McNorton says she's a firm believer in staying current by accessing the right media outlets. She says that the way healthcare marketing has evolved over the past five years, her focus has had to change, too.

"There is so much less emphasis today on what we are doing and a whole lot more on why you're doing it and what results you're getting," McNorton says. "I have to be able to talk the same language as our executives and know what they're thinking about."

At Dobies Healthcare Group, we suggest a morning ritual that goes something like this:

• Scan the headlines, front page articles and blogs in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and The Washington Post.
• If time allows, scan Fortune magazine and Harvard Business Review for top-of-mind leadership issues.
• And don't forget to pop open your daily RSS feeds including your marketing favorites and HealthLeaders Daily Digest, Modern Healthcare and AHA News Now.
• Some additional publications worth considering:
  • Hospitals & Health Networks
  • Health Affairs
  • Healthcare Finance News
• Of course, if you prefer, you can follow publications on Twitter:
  • @wsj
  • @nytimes
  • @washingtonpost
  • @healthleaders
  • @fortunemagazine
  • @harvardbiz
  • @modrnhealthcr
  • @hhnmag

What publications help YOU stay up to date? Tweet us your C-suite favorites @dobiesgroup.

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