Michael Mutterer is President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, IL. He started at the hospital in 2020 as Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services. Prior to joining Silver Cross, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Riverside HealthCare in Kankakee, IL. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Nursing degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology degree from Adler University.
By Neill Marshall, Chairman, HealthSearch Partners and Kurt Mosley, Associations Practice Leader, HealthSearch Partners
Most articles in our First 90 Days series focus on leaders who did something unusual, something innovative. We have interviewed CEOs who slept in hospitals, conducted midnight rounds, shadowed frontline employees in uniform, arrived before their official start dates, and launched highly visible symbolic acts designed to establish trust and set the tone for their leadership.
Michael Mutterer’s story is different.
The most important leadership decision he made during his first 90 days was his decision not to change anything. At first glance, that may not sound particularly innovative. But it may have required more discipline and emotional intelligence than any symbolic act we have encountered in this series.
When Mutterer became Interim President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, IL, he was stepping into one of the most difficult leadership situations imaginable. He was not replacing a retiring executive. He was not succeeding a CEO who had accepted another position. He was taking over after the unexpected death of longtime President and CEO Ruth Colby, a leader who had spent more than two decades at the organization and who was deeply respected by employees, physicians, board members, and the community.
The organization was not simply experiencing a leadership transition. It was grieving.
To make matters more complicated, Mutterer was not an outside candidate arriving with a fresh mandate. He was the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer, a well-known internal leader who suddenly found himself serving as interim CEO while the board launched a national search for the permanent replacement.
That created a unique challenge.
As an internal candidate, every decision carried meaning. Every action was scrutinized. Every change was interpreted through multiple lenses. Employees were asking themselves whether he was the future CEO. The board was evaluating his performance. The organization was mourning the loss of a beloved leader. And all eyes were on him.
To move, or not to move?
One of the first questions he faced seemed simple enough: Would he move into the CEO’s office? Half the organization thought he should. After all, he was the interim CEO. The other half thought he shouldn’t. The office belonged to Ruth Colby, and emotions were still raw. Mutterer chose not to move.
The decision was not part of some carefully crafted communications strategy. In fact, he initially viewed it as a matter of respect. The organization needed time to process what had happened. Employees needed time to grieve. He did not want anyone to interpret his actions as an attempt to claim territory or erase the memory of someone who had meant so much to the organization.
What surprised him was how many people noticed. Some employees complimented him for not moving into the office. Others questioned why he had not. The experience taught him an important lesson. During times of uncertainty, people assign meaning to everything a leader does, and more importantly, everything a leader chooses not to do. In many ways, not moving into the office became his symbolic act.
The same dynamic played out throughout his first several months as interim CEO. He continued parking in the same place he always parked. He maintained the same routines. He resisted the temptation to make visible changes simply to demonstrate he was in charge. He consciously avoided creating the perception that he was acting as though the permanent CEO role was already his.
Maintaining stability, not pursuing transformation.
Looking back, Mutterer believes his primary responsibility was not transformation. His responsibility was stability. His job was to help the organization heal. His job was to preserve the culture that employees valued. His job was to ensure that Silver Cross remained Silver Cross while the board determined who should ultimately lead the organization into the future.
The irony is that this approach was heavily influenced by Ruth Colby herself.
Years earlier, when Mutterer became Chief Nursing Officer, he replaced a long-tenured nursing leader who had spent decades with the organization. Shortly after that transition, Colby pulled him aside and offered advice that he never forgot. She reminded him that all eyes were now on him. She encouraged him to act as if it were his first day in the organization. Don’t rush. Don’t make unnecessary changes. Respect what came before you. Take time to learn what truly needs to change and what should remain exactly as it is.
Years later, standing in her position, he found himself following the very advice she had once given him.
Perhaps the most interesting lesson from Mutterer’s experience is that not every leadership transition requires dramatic action. Healthcare leaders often feel pressure to arrive with answers, solutions, and visible initiatives. They feel compelled to demonstrate progress. They want to establish their identity and put their own stamp on the organization.
When leadership needs to take the opposite approach.
But there are moments when leadership requires the opposite approach. There are moments when restraint becomes a strategy. There are moments when listening matters more than acting. There are moments when preserving trust is more important than creating change. And, there are moments when the most effective thing a leader can do is simply provide stability while everyone else regains their footing.
For Michael Mutterer, the first 90 days were not about introducing a new culture. They were about protecting an existing one. They were not about replacing a predecessor’s legacy. They were about honoring it. They were not about proving he deserved the CEO role. They were about ensuring the organization remained strong regardless of who ultimately occupied the office.
In an era where leadership books often celebrate disruption and transformation, his story offers a different lesson. Sometimes the most courageous leadership decision is not deciding what to change, it is deciding what not to change.
Stay tuned for more insights as we continue exploring the innovative tactics used by business leaders to make their first 90 days count.
If you have adopted these tactics, or any others featured in this series, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us to share your story.
