Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, which ranks fifth highest in the nation for quality amongst its peers by NCQA, consistently delivers high-quality, cost-effective health insurance to more than 170,000 Rhode Islanders. Neighborhood's success did not just happen by accident – there is a secret recipe. Mission-driven leadership permeates throughout Neighborhood, and there are key ingredients that make it work:
» Live the mission. Prioritize and stay laser-focused. Distractions result in doing lots of things poorly rather than important things well. Everything Neighborhood does is focused on "Member First."
» Lead by example. Key decisions are often very difficult and test the core of who we are. It starts with engendering trust with your team.
» Build a talented team. Your success comes from your team's success, so hire people who are smarter and more creative than you. Encourage and trust them to take risks and always demonstrate a willingness to learn from each other's mistakes.
» Stretch for excellence. Do not accept "good enough." Accepting mediocrity kills excellence.
» Leave it better. Mission-driven leadership also requires making it last. What you leave behind is as important as what you helped create. Do leaders in the company continue to focus on the mission and drive towards excellence? Do they know how to find great talent?
The right answers to these questions are the legacy of mission-driven leadership. •