Culture Change RX

Culture Bytes: A Trust Deficit Will Hamper Momentum and Undermine Progress

Sue Tetzlaff Season 1 Episode 9

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In this episode, Sue discusses the impact of trust, or lack thereof, between the administrative team and the board of directors. She draws on examples from her experiences as a senior executive in healthcare and highlights the need for trust between the board and the executive team to facilitate more effective decision-making . . . and speeding up the timeframe to achieving the desired results. She suggests two tactics to build trust: changing the definition of 'old business' on the board agenda and creating a well-designed strategic plan.


Episode Insights and Takeaways

  • Trust is essential for a culture of achievement and success in organizations.
  • Lack of trust can lead to slow decision-making and excessive rework.
  • To build trust, organizations should revisit the progress and outcomes of past decisions under 'old business' on the board agenda.
  • Having a well-designed strategic plan can also foster trust and speed up decision-making.


We’re stepping forward in a bigger way—growing our team of rural healthcare experts, growing our capabilities by adding a strategic planning division … all of this so we can expand our ability to help even more rural hospitals and other small healthcare organizations in 2026. … We’d love to explore how we can support your organization in being the provider- and employer-of-choice so you can keep care local and margins strong! Learn more at CaptoneLeadership.net


Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
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3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at info@capstoneleadership.net and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.