The Frontline Leader
“The Front-Line Leader by Chris Van Gorder is a profoundly straightforward and commonsense approach to effective leadership. Chris is a leader who exemplifies the content of this book. The chapters exude wisdom that can be utilized by any discipline or profession. I saw his leadership ability first hand when during Katrina our nation needed additional resources to manage this unprecedented catastrophe. It was Chris who stepped up and successfully led a very large Scripps team to oversee the care and evacuation of thousands of victims of the Katrina disaster. I would strongly recommend this book to both seasoned and aspiring leaders, for it will challenge you to take your leadership to the next level.”
“As a leader, developing an employee-focused work culture is a challenge that requires daily attention and effort. In The Front-Line Leader, Chris Van Gorder outlines a set of practical, easily implemented strategies for leaders at every level to stay connected to their workforce. Having worked with Chris directly in his role at Scripps, and having been a patient at Scripps, I have seen first hand how this approach works. Success, whether in baseball or in business, requires a team mentality, shared commitment to a common goal, and the daily practice of winning strategies.”
“For the past eight years, I have had the extraordinary privilege of working for Chris Van Gorder, who is not just an exemplary leader in American health care but responsible for the dramatic turnaround of Scripps Health to make it one of the best health systems in the world. In The Front-Line Leader, Chris shares his successful philosophy for transforming an organization from the ground up.”
“Chris Van Gorder is a man of service and purpose. When disaster strikes, Chris refuses to collaborate with hopelessness but rather confronts affliction with action. Like so many great leaders, Chris has built sustainable infrastructure one front-line leader at a time, sending messages to the future that reflect his values and health care's endowed promise of a better life for all.”
“The title of The Front-Line Leader says it all. Chris Van Gorder's message may seem simple, but that's just the point. In this rapidly evolving tech world, it's easy to forget the basics. It doesn't matter what business you're in; Van Gorder's genuine life and business experiences will lead you to the front.”
“At the San Diego Sheriff's Department, we know first hand the effectiveness of Chris's front-line leadership model. He leads our Reserve Deputy Sheriff program and our volunteer Search and Rescue team, an effort that takes him into the mountains, canyons, and desert to look for folks who have lost their way. Success or failure can mean life or death. Chris Van Gorder's leadership is direct and straightforward, and so is The Front-Line Leader. He shows the way to become a leader who has real impact on your organization and in the lives of those around you.”
THE FRONT-LINE LEADER
BUILDING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATION FROM THE GROUND UP
Chris Van Gorder
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: © iStock.com/francisblack
Copyright © 2015 by Scripps Health. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Gorder, Chris.
The front-line leader: building a high-performance organization from the ground up / Chris Van Gorder.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-118-93334-3 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-118-93335-0 (pdf); ISBN 978-1-118-93336-7 (epub)
1. Leadership. 2. Corporate culture. 3. Communication in organizations. I. Title.
HD57.7.V3597 2014
658.4′092–dc23
2014025446
FIRST EDITION
To Rosemary, David, and Michael
Acknowledgments
I've often said that I have had the fortune and blessing of “falling up.” The truth is, nobody falls up by him- or herself.
Lorin Rees of Boston's Rees Literary Agency contacted me and encouraged me to write a proposal for this book. He put me in touch with a professional writer, Seth Schulman of the Providence Word and Thought Company. With Seth's guidance, support, and writing skills, I was able to get my ideas and stories down on paper. We secured the participation of a top publisher, Jossey-Bass, and its senior editor for business, leadership, and management, Karen Murphy. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to this core team for their help and encouragement.
I am deeply grateful to many other people