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The Front-Line Leader: Building a High-Performance Organization from the Ground Up
Real leadership that leads to high engagement, higher performance, and a culture of accountability As president and CEO of Scripps Health, one of America's most prestigious health systems, Chris Van Gorder presided over a dramatic turnaround, catapulting Scripps from near bankruptcy to a dominant market position. While hospitals and health systems nationwide have laid people off or are closing their doors, Scripps is financially healthy, has added thousands of employees (even with a no-layoff philosophy), and has developed a reputation as a top employer. What are the secrets to this remarkable story?
In The Front-Line Leader, Chris Van Gorder candidly shares his own incredible story, from police officer to CEO, and the leadership philosophy that drives all of his decisions and people come first. Van Gorder began his unlikely career as a California police officer, which deeply instilled in him a sense of social responsibility, honesty, and public service. After being injured on the job and taking an early retirement, Van Gorder had to reinvent himself, taking a job as a hospital security director, a job that would change his life. Through hard work and determination, he rose to executive ranks, eventually becoming CEO of Scripps. But he never forgot his own roots and powerful work ethic, or the time when he was a security officer and a CEO would not make eye contact with him.
Van Gorder leads from the front lines, making it a priority to know his employees and customers at every level. His values learned on the force--protecting the community, educating citizens, developing caring relationships, and ultimately doing the right thing--shape his approach to business. As much as companies talk about accountability, managers seldom understand what practical steps to take to achieve an ethic of service that makes accountability meaningful. The Front-Line Leader outlines specific tactics and steps anyone can use starting today to take responsibility, inspire others, and achieve breakout results for their organizations. Van Gorder reveals how a no-layoff philosophy led to higher accountability, how his own attention to seemingly minor details spurred larger change, and how his own high standards for himself and his team improved morale and productivity.
From general strategy to the tiny, everyday steps leaders can take to create the kind of culture and accountability that translates into major competitive advantage, The Front-Line Leader charts a path to better leadership and a more engaged, higher-performing organization.
In The Front-Line Leader, Chris Van Gorder candidly shares his own incredible story, from police officer to CEO, and the leadership philosophy that drives all of his decisions and people come first. Van Gorder began his unlikely career as a California police officer, which deeply instilled in him a sense of social responsibility, honesty, and public service. After being injured on the job and taking an early retirement, Van Gorder had to reinvent himself, taking a job as a hospital security director, a job that would change his life. Through hard work and determination, he rose to executive ranks, eventually becoming CEO of Scripps. But he never forgot his own roots and powerful work ethic, or the time when he was a security officer and a CEO would not make eye contact with him.
Van Gorder leads from the front lines, making it a priority to know his employees and customers at every level. His values learned on the force--protecting the community, educating citizens, developing caring relationships, and ultimately doing the right thing--shape his approach to business. As much as companies talk about accountability, managers seldom understand what practical steps to take to achieve an ethic of service that makes accountability meaningful. The Front-Line Leader outlines specific tactics and steps anyone can use starting today to take responsibility, inspire others, and achieve breakout results for their organizations. Van Gorder reveals how a no-layoff philosophy led to higher accountability, how his own attention to seemingly minor details spurred larger change, and how his own high standards for himself and his team improved morale and productivity.
From general strategy to the tiny, everyday steps leaders can take to create the kind of culture and accountability that translates into major competitive advantage, The Front-Line Leader charts a path to better leadership and a more engaged, higher-performing organization.
- GenresBusinessLeadership
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2014
5 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Chris Van Gorder
4 books3 followersA former cop turned CEO, Chris Van Gorder embarked on an unconventional career path and achieved great success. He presided over a dramatic turnaround at Scripps Health, catapulting the organization from near bankruptcy to a dominant position in the market. Now, he is sharing his personal story and leadership philosophy in a new book
All proceeds from "The Front-Line Leader" will go to the Scripps Health Foundation.
All proceeds from "The Front-Line Leader" will go to the Scripps Health Foundation.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 9, 2015
If you are looking for a book filled with general (and generally applicable) advice on how to be a better leader, you might find yourself a bit disappointed with Front-Line Leader. Sure, some of the advice that Gorder, President and CEO of Scripps Health, gives will work across different business types, for example:
(*) regularly get to know your employees on a personal level
(*) tell personal stories to illustrate your points (instead of just using corporate buzz words and lingo)
(*) ask employees for their advice and opinions and then actually make improvements based on them
(*) hold employees, especially managers, accountable for hitting their numbers and keeping their department's happy
And, yes, I absolutely appreciated Gorder's positive attitude about and respect for his employees. It is clear that he considers his job as CEO at Scripps Health to be a sacred responsibility. He is invested and committed to doing whatever he can to support his people. I definitely respect that.
But there is a lot here that is very specific to running a hospital and providing health care--and, even more frustrating, the reason that so much revolves around the health profession is because SO MUCH of this book is about Gorder. Honestly, it didn't take me fifty pages to realize this was basically one long extended resume. While I did feel like I had a good grasp on his personality after finishing the book, I was also so ready to be done with all the examples of how Gorder improved things at Scripps Health. One of my least favorite chapters, called "The Credibility Factor," was so distasteful to me for this very reason; it was just an overly-detailed description of his experiences during disaster relief efforts (in New Orleans after Katrina and in Haiti after the earthquake). I understand that aiding in these natural disasters helped Scripps establish credibility with the community and government, but I certainly didn't need Gorder's disaster relief play-by-play to understand this point. Eventually it was just overkill (and maybe just a tad self-indulgent?).
With that said, I would add that I really respect Gorder's work ethic. I enjoyed the chapter on holding people accountable, since it is clear that he also holds himself to a high standard. I also appreciated the chapter on building loyalty and engagement from the middle; Gorder is talking about (and to) a whole lot of overlooked but capable people, and it just makes sense for managers and leaders to take advantage of this often untapped resource. (Actually I just read another interesting and informative book, Unlocking Potential: 7 Coaching Skills That Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations, that offered similar advice.)
Overall, I enjoyed this short book. Unfortunately, though, because every one of Gorder's points is supported only by examples from his own life experiences--most of them from his time at Scripps--ultimately, the scope of Front-Line Leader ended up being too narrow, in my opinion. It still might be worth a read, though, especially if you are in the health care industry.
(*) regularly get to know your employees on a personal level
(*) tell personal stories to illustrate your points (instead of just using corporate buzz words and lingo)
(*) ask employees for their advice and opinions and then actually make improvements based on them
(*) hold employees, especially managers, accountable for hitting their numbers and keeping their department's happy
And, yes, I absolutely appreciated Gorder's positive attitude about and respect for his employees. It is clear that he considers his job as CEO at Scripps Health to be a sacred responsibility. He is invested and committed to doing whatever he can to support his people. I definitely respect that.
But there is a lot here that is very specific to running a hospital and providing health care--and, even more frustrating, the reason that so much revolves around the health profession is because SO MUCH of this book is about Gorder. Honestly, it didn't take me fifty pages to realize this was basically one long extended resume. While I did feel like I had a good grasp on his personality after finishing the book, I was also so ready to be done with all the examples of how Gorder improved things at Scripps Health. One of my least favorite chapters, called "The Credibility Factor," was so distasteful to me for this very reason; it was just an overly-detailed description of his experiences during disaster relief efforts (in New Orleans after Katrina and in Haiti after the earthquake). I understand that aiding in these natural disasters helped Scripps establish credibility with the community and government, but I certainly didn't need Gorder's disaster relief play-by-play to understand this point. Eventually it was just overkill (and maybe just a tad self-indulgent?).
With that said, I would add that I really respect Gorder's work ethic. I enjoyed the chapter on holding people accountable, since it is clear that he also holds himself to a high standard. I also appreciated the chapter on building loyalty and engagement from the middle; Gorder is talking about (and to) a whole lot of overlooked but capable people, and it just makes sense for managers and leaders to take advantage of this often untapped resource. (Actually I just read another interesting and informative book, Unlocking Potential: 7 Coaching Skills That Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations, that offered similar advice.)
Overall, I enjoyed this short book. Unfortunately, though, because every one of Gorder's points is supported only by examples from his own life experiences--most of them from his time at Scripps--ultimately, the scope of Front-Line Leader ended up being too narrow, in my opinion. It still might be worth a read, though, especially if you are in the health care industry.
November 24, 2014
Practical examples and key point wrap ups at the end of each chapter set this apart from other leadership books. Chris' personal journey is impressive and inspiring.
June 13, 2019
Chris has a powerful story and excellent experience. I think business leaders have a lot to learn from him. I wish that this book had had more practical advice for people ON the front-line, versus for those who manage them. It was a lot of food for thought and I'm glad I got a copy from my bosses... Now I just need them to read it! :)
August 8, 2025
This was the perfect book to read with my colleagues. A must-read for all people in a leadership position. "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader"- John Quincy Adams.
August 15, 2020
Read specifically for the author, and not necessarily on the topic of corporate leadership in the healthcare industry.
May 8, 2024
Read this for class, Much better than I expected. So many ideas of what I would love to see in Leadership from any organization I worked for.
April 4, 2015
This is an extraordinary book. It's the story of a leader who values and likes his employees and interacts with them frequently. He believes in the Mission of his Organization and keeps it firmly in mind with every decision he makes. It is the story of Scripps Health's last fifteen years and the amazing turnaround it's experienced. It has a genuine, guileless tone to it. Here is a great leader - one who values transparency in business and relationships, one who puts the patient first in all cases, and one who truly values his employees. It is an inspirational story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews