How do you improve diversity in healthcare, and the nation’s workplaces in general? Make it a priority.
Study after study shows that gender diversity leads to better business results, says Therese Grossi, Independent Consultant and National Accounts Veteran, “so there’s a business reason that you would think everyone would want to be engaged.”
Grossi says two things need to happen. “The first thing would be the male leaders who make the majority of the hiring decisions have to seek diverse candidates. They have to look harder and develop more.”
It’s not good enough to say a woman didn’t apply for the job, because it’s no secret that women tend not to raise their hands if they don’t believe that they’re fully and completely qualified, Grossi says. “And I think that if a male leader says the right things but surrounds himself with mostly men, then that leader is really no better than a leader who doesn’t even acknowledge that there’s an opportunity to improve diversity.”
The second thing that needs to continue to happen is women need to raise their hands. “They need to ask for advancement and development opportunities. I would tell them to stand out and not blend in; to say what they think and mean what they say; to have confidence because they’re most likely way smarter than they’re giving themselves credit for,” Grossi says.
Grossi recently joined the National Accounts Today podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including women leaders in healthcare, diversity in the workplace, the progression of GPOs over the last decade, key trends to identify moving forward, and more.
The following were some other takeaways from the podcast:
On the importance of mentoring
Over the last several years of her career, Grossi says mentoring other women in the industry has been one of the things she’s enjoyed the most. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with some terrific women on our Women’s Initiative Network,” she says. There’s a lot of untapped talent that just being wasted by not developing and promoting more of these women, she says. “So, I think that improved diversity just makes everyone better, not just the women, but the men on the team as well. So, I’ve enjoyed it a lot and I just hope that I’ve been able to make a small difference in the women that I’ve worked with. I know that they’ve made a difference in my life.”
On a key challenge for the industry moving forward
One of the key challenges as we moved into a payment-for-value era as opposed to payment-for-service is developing ways of measuring that, she says. “Everyone believes that’s the way it should happen, but the ability to collect the data and have data-driven decisions is just really, really challenging.”
For instance, it’s one thing for a supplier to tell a GPO, “Well, my product will ultimately cost less to use.” But it’s a completely different thing to prove it with data. And that’s what everyone’s looking for, Grossi says. “So, I think that’s going to continue to shape and evolve where everyone goes in the next three to five years.”
On advice for someone starting out in national accounts today
Always look for success on all sides, Grossi says. “Work with honesty and integrity. Make sure you can pass the red face test in the mirror, that you can look yourself in the eye and know you did the right thing.”
To listen to the full National Accounts Today podcast with Therese Grossi, click here