Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? IBM’s Comeback and the Healthcare Lesson
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What were the challenges IBM faced in 1993?
In 1993, IBM was dying. $8 billion in losses, the largest in American corporate history. Analysts said, break it up. Sell it for parts. The talent is gone. The culture is toxic. The elephant is too big, too slow, too stuck to survive. They were wrong. One man walked into that disaster and saw something no one else could see. He didn't fire everyone. He didn't blow it up. He kept most of the same managers who presided over the collapse and turned them into the leaders of one of the greatest corporate turnarounds in the history of America. How? He changed the system, not the people, the system. And that lesson, the lesson that IBM taught the business world 30 years ago is the exact same lesson the healthcare industry today is in dire need of.
Welcome back to Bread to Lead.
I'm excited to see you.
How did Lou Gerstner approach the turnaround at IBM?
And in this episode, things may be a little bit different. We're going to try for the rest of this season, rather long season, for full video. If you want to see the full actual video of the podcast or class, as we call it, you can go to our YouTube at Dr. Jake Taylor Jacobs on YouTube. And we're excited to show more of a visual aspect of the show in my office at our research and training institute, our headquarters here. Dallas. So let's get to it. Welcome back Bridge Builders to Bred to Lead, the podcast built to build the greatest leaders of our next generation. I'm your host, Dr. Jake Taylor Jacobson. If you're new here, welcome to the family. If you've been rocking with us since season one, I appreciate you holding it down.
This is episode 35, season three. In this season, we're doing something different. I just released my newest book, Operational Blindness, why healthcare leaders can't see what's costing them millions and how to finally fix it. I'm excited about this book. And instead of telling you to go and buy it and figure it out for yourself, I'm going to bring you inside. Every episode for the remainder of this season, I'm going to read directly from the book. Word for word.
What is the concept of operational blindness?
And then I'm going to break it down, teach it, expand on it, give you the stories, the context and the application that didn't make it to the pages or else this book would have been a thousand pages. Think of it like a masterclass, which is what Bread to Lead is. You get the content, then you get the commentary. Now, if you want the full book, it will be available on Amazon soon and on our site everywhere that the book can be sold online.
How can operational blindness affect healthcare organizations?
If you want a free copy of this book and you are an executive at a hospital, assume the qualifications, you have to be an executive at a hospital. We will be having very soon, potentially by episode 36 or 37, we will have very soon the operational blindness assessment that any leader running any organization can take it to see if you are indeed operationally blind and how we can help you fix that. So I'm excited about this. But if you don't ever go get it, the book. You're going to walk away from every episode this season with something you can use. So let's jump right into it. Today's topic is actually called the elephant everyone forgot. I'm starting here for a reason. Because before I can teach you what operational blindness is, before I can show you what it's costing your organization, I need to reframe how you think about organizational failure.
Because here's what most leaders do. When something isn't working, they look for someone to blame. The department is underperforming. Fire the director. Metrics aren't hitting. Replace the manager. The complaints keep coming. It must be a people problem. And look, sometimes it very much is a people problem. I'm not naive. But more often than not, you got talented people just trapped in broken, old, antiquated systems. And this is what's causing the demise of so many organizations. Doesn't matter how many heads you swap out, the result will stay the same. And Lou Gertzner figured this out at IBM. And if you're a health care executive who's been cycling through SPD directors every two years wondering why nothing ever changes, you need to hear what he discovered.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What were the challenges IBM faced in 1993?
0:00–1:10
2
How did Lou Gerstner approach the turnaround at IBM?
1:10–2:38
3
What is the concept of operational blindness?
2:38–3:06
4
How can operational blindness affect healthcare organizations?
3:06–16:58
5
What beliefs hinder organizational success?
16:58–27:44
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Bred To Lead | With Dr. Jake Tayler Jacobs
Ep. 039 The Dance Begins: Curing Operational Blindness in Healthcare
Ep. 038 -The 10,000-Pound Elephant: Why Old Beliefs Keep Hospitals Chained
EP.037 The Hidden Beliefs That Keep Healthcare Stuck
EP: 036 The Healthcare Parallel: Why Optimizing the OR Alone Never Works
Ep.034 From Conformity to Innovation: Rebuild Leadership and Systems
SPD911 Episode 4 - Staying Compliant Even When It's Tough