Proven Playbooks from Today’s Most Effective Executives
The first 90 days in a new healthcare leadership role are decisive. Early actions shape credibility, influence organizational culture, and establish the trajectory for long-term success.
HealthSearch Partners’ First 90 Days series captures real-world insights from accomplished healthcare executives and search leaders who have successfully navigated this critical transition period. These articles go beyond theory—highlighting practical strategies, leadership behaviors, and decision-making frameworks that drive meaningful impact from day one.
What You’ll Learn
Across this series, you’ll gain actionable guidance on how healthcare leaders:
Establish trust quickly across clinical, operational, and executive teams
Set priorities while balancing immediate pressures and long-term strategy
Build alignment with boards, physicians, and frontline staff
Identify early wins that create momentum and credibility
Shape culture through visible leadership and consistent action
Whether stepping into a CEO, CMO, or senior executive role, these lessons provide a structured approach to navigating complexity from the outset.
After Midnight – Executive Rounding When Staff Least Expected It
Continuing our series on groundbreaking strategies in healthcare leadership, we look at how Dan Castillo, former CEO of LA County-USC Medical Center, used a hands-on, after-hours approach to build trust, identify needs, and establish the groundwork for sustainable improvements.
Wake Up Call: How Richard Parks Turned Sleep into a Leadership Superpower
Richard Parks is a retired healthcare executive with a career that spanned 38 years. He served as President and CEO of Covenant Health System in
Our Bench of Executives
Feras Asakrieh
Former Vice President of Sales and Customer Service at a nationwide U.S. bank.
Dan Castillo
Managing Principal at Health Management Associates
Shane Cerone
President and CEO of Kada Health
Jonathan Donahue
Principal Consultant at Leadership Effectiveness
Neill Marshall
Chairman at HealthSearch Partners
Kurt Mosley
Associations Practice Leader at HealthSearch Partners
Anil Prahlad
Founder & CEO at Vitus Intel
Michael Pulido
Senior Client Executive at OneDigital
Jay Robinson
Senior Vice President/Area Manager at Kaiser Permanente
Wayne Sensor
Founder & Managing Partner at Sensor & Associates
Brad Shawhan
Former Marine and National Guardsman turned Enterprise CX Director
Burl Stamp
President and Founder at Stamp & Chase
Derick Ziegler
President and Founder at Stamp & Chase
Explore the Series
Dive into the full collection of First 90 Days insights to learn how leading healthcare executives:
Build trust across diverse stakeholder groups
Drive early operational improvements
Align teams around shared priorities
Establish a leadership presence that endures
Partner with HealthSearch Partners
At HealthSearch Partners, we don’t just place healthcare executives, we help organizations identify leaders who can succeed from day one.
Our search process is grounded in a deep understanding of what it takes to lead effectively in today’s healthcare environment, including the critical first 90 days.
Connect with our team to learn how we support leadership success from search through transition.
