Kindness is now embedded into the cultural fabric of the Northside Hospital system. We have assembled a systemwide team—the Kindness Through Communication team—that meets weekly and creates ways to embed kindness into the organization’s culture. Due to this team and their outreach and mission, we’ve seen an increase in both employee and patient satisfaction.
Grow where you are planted
Lynn Jackson:
Empathy, purpose and ingenuity are all characteristics that define who I am as a leader and healthcare professional. It is my belief that successful Leaders start by building a solid foundation of expertise and establishing credibility. It goes without saying – leaders are not the ones who sit back and avoid the difficult work or conversations. Instead, they find challenging opportunities—even the tasks that appear daunting and improbable—and pour themselves into finding solutions. In addition, offering to help or advise others should be a muscle that is well exercised on the route to attaining a leadership position. It’s important to demonstrate to others that you lead by example and want to help your colleagues grow and succeed. Assisting others in achieving their goals helps facilitate their success and makes us a better leader.
“Grow where you are planted” has been my mantra throughout my career. Practicing my entire 40+year career in acute care settings, first as a bedside RN in surgery and critical care, then later moving on to leadership roles in nursing. The more I learned about hospital leadership, the more my ambition grew to become a catalyst in creating a healthcare future where clinical expertise and experience was integral in hospital governance. After acquiring a Master’s degree in Hospital Administration, I left the practice of nursing to take on a broader role as a hospital administrator. In 1999, I joined the Administration team at Baptist Medical Center, which was acquired by Northside Hospital in 2001 and as the hospital administrator, I stayed on for the next 20+ years as our team supported the unprecedented growth of the hospital from 41 beds to over 400 beds. In October 2023, I was named CEO of Northside Hospital Forsyth. From bedside to boardroom, my passion for serving patients with compassion, empathy and joy has never wavered.
