By Renee Jensen

Active listening is an essential skill for anyone who leads others. Ensuring others feel heard and understood is part of what builds strong teams, but I have found that when you’re having a conversation as a team or with an individual, listening to what they aren’t saying is just as important as listening to what they are saying. I’m not just talking about body language (though that speaks volumes), but rather the omission of information or opinions or what isn’t laid out on the table.

By Renee Jensen

In past articles, I have shared about my (fairly new) love for running. Truth be told, though, I am not sure I actually love running itself as much as the escape that running offers me. I love the pure physical exhaustion that lets my mind be free of everything and present in the moment. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I reach a new milestone, but not necessarily running. For these reasons, I often say that I don’t consider myself a “real” runner. (Although, once a friend scolded me for saying that, reminding me: “You run; therefore, you are a real runner.”)

By Renee Jensen

There are many things that the COVID pandemic has taught us. For me, the experiences of the past year have reinforced something many of us already knew: your state of mind can be a very powerful influence on the outcome of your work, your day, and even your life.

By Renee Jensen

If you are part of your hospital’s front-line staff, think about the last time a member of the executive team rounded in your department. Did the staff scatter, hide behind the computer, and hope to not be noticed, or pretend to be too busy to be interrupted? Did you take one for the team and entertain the executive until they finally left?

By Renee Jensen

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this:

You’re in a meeting where everything is going along smoothly. You are feeling optimistic—you may get done early so you can get back to your office and have a few minutes back in your day! All of the sudden, someone in the room derails the conversation and direction of the meeting causing a flurry of discussion, debate and disagreement.

By Renee Jensen

The topic of career transition is something that strong, successful leaders rarely talk about, despite the fact that it is something that almost every professional will experience in some way, at some point in their career.

Lessons I learned from my dad

By Renee Jensen

When was the last time you evaluated your own risk tolerance? In life there are all kinds of risks to consider: financial investments, adventures, personal relationships, professional decisions; the list could go on and on.

By Renee Jensen

This is a trying time for leaders in the healthcare industry. The pandemic is putting stress on operations and financials, and is straining the capacity of the entire healthcare system. We have huge challenges to overcome, but it’s difficult to know how to lead and find a way forward in a situation no one has experienced before.

By Renee Jensen

At one of the hospitals I served as CEO, I brought in an executive coach to work with our senior leadership team. At the end of our time together, the coach complimented my team, saying it was one of the most high-performing groups he had ever worked with. I was shocked.

In retrospect, I truly believe the reason for our ability to perform at a high level was our deep trust in one another, established through a genuine desire to know and care for each other.

By Renee Jensen

As healthcare leaders, we want to inspire and empower our employees to do creative, high-quality work that serves our patients and our communities. There is seemingly no end to the methods executives can use to accomplish this goal, but I have found that no strategic plan, incentive, or leadership development program can foster this kind of work like an organizational culture where it’s safe to fail. When employees aren’t afraid to take a risk on an innovative idea, they are free to do their very best work.

Above & Beyond Award

• Renee Jensen

• Summit Pacific Medical Center

Summit Pacific Medical Center CEO Renee K. Jensen is leaving to a position within EvergreenHealth as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for EvergreenHealth Monroe, the community in which she was raised.

“Renee was a gift to the district,” said Drew Hooper, board chairman of Grays Harbor Hospital District 1, which operates Summit Pacific. “It’s been a privilege to watch her lead this organization from the brink of closure into the nationally recognized medical center it is today.”

CEO Renee Jensen cannot praise the staff enough for the work they have been doing this past year. “It’s been amazing to watch our staff come together and work toward this common goal,” she shares. “I know they have all been pushed to their limits, but they continue to deliver top-notch patient care while spending a lot of extra time meeting with peers to re-design workflows, meeting with software staff to share information and spending countless hours learning the new system.”

For the first time in its history, the Washington State Hospital Association awarded the prestigious Joe Hopkins Memorial Award for outstanding leadership to two CEOs: Renee Jensen, CEO of Summit Pacific Medical Center, and Tom Jensen, CEO of Grays Harbor Community Hospital.

The two leaders were identified by the committee of past recipients for their excellence in serving their communities.“Through their tireless commitment, their creativity, and their sheer determination, Renee and Tom have ensured that their communities will have health care,” said WSHA board chair Gregg Davidson. “The awards committee was unanimous in their desire to see both of them honored. It’s always risky to make an exception, but exceptional people deserve to be recognized.”