Addressing Disruptive Behaviors in Healthcare: When Executive Coaching is the Solution

Aashi Arora 07 Mar 2025

Introduction

In high-pressure healthcare environments, strong leadership is essential to maintaining a culture
of collaboration and professionalism. However, dealing with disruptive behaviors—whether
from physicians, executives, or other key personnel—can be challenging. These behaviors can
undermine team morale, affect patient care, and create long-term organizational risks. One
effective solution is executive coaching, a structured approach to developing self-awareness,
accountability, and leadership effectiveness.

Recognizing Disruptive Behavior in Healthcare Leadership

Disruptive behaviors in healthcare can manifest in various ways, such as:

• Consistently dismissing or belittling colleagues
• Resisting feedback or ignoring organizational policies
• Engaging in passive-aggressive or openly hostile communication
• Creating an environment of fear, mistrust, or division
• Micromanaging or failing to delegate effectively

Unchecked, these behaviors lead to increased turnover, lower engagement, and diminished
patient care standards. Addressing these issues requires a proactive and structured approach.

The Financial Implications of a Toxic Work Environment

A toxic healthcare environment carries significant financial costs that organizations cannot afford
to ignore. Some of the key financial consequences include:

Issue	Impact
Increased Employee Turnover	Replacing a team member costs hundreds of thousands in recruitment, onboarding, and lost productivity.
Lower Patient Satisfaction Scores	Disruptive behaviors reduce trust and satisfaction, affecting reimbursements and hospital ratings.
Higher Legal and Compliance Costs	Toxicity leads to legal claims, HR interventions, and regulatory penalties.
Decreased Productivity	Toxic environments cause disengagement, stress, and inefficiencies, leading to revenue loss.
Compromised Patient Care Outcomes	Poor teamwork and communication increase errors, readmissions, and malpractice risks.

Addressing these financial risks requires proactive leadership interventions, such as executive
coaching, to create a healthier, high-functioning work culture.

Why Executive Coaching is an Effective Solution

While disciplinary actions and HR interventions can be necessary, executive coaching offers a
constructive alternative that helps leaders recognize and correct problematic behaviors while
fostering professional growth. Executive coaching provides:

• A confidential space for reflection and self-awareness
• Insights into leadership strengths and blind spots
• Tailored strategies to improve emotional intelligence and communication
• Accountability mechanisms to ensure lasting behavioral change

How to Introduce Executive Coaching to a Disruptive Leader

When suggesting executive coaching to a leader exhibiting disruptive behaviors, the approach is
critical. Here’s how to do it effectively:

1. Frame It as a Growth Opportunity: Avoid making it feel like punishment. Instead, position coaching as a professional development tool that will help them refine their leadership skills and enhance their
   career.
2. Provide Specific, Constructive Feedback: Use clear examples of behaviors that have impacted the team or organization. Focus on the effects rather than personal critiques.
3. Highlight the Benefits: Emphasize how executive coaching can improve decision-making, reduce stress, and create stronger team relationships, leading to a more effective and respected leadership
   presence.
4. Leverage External Expertise: Bringing in a professional coaching firm like iRISE Executive Coaching can help provide a structured, unbiased, and results-driven approach.
   

How Executive Coaches Can Align Teams with Leadership Vision

One of the greatest challenges CEOs face is ensuring that their vision is effectively
communicated and embraced by all levels of the organization, particularly in teams experiencing
disruption. Executive coaches play a critical role in aligning leadership’s vision with team
dynamics by:

• Facilitating Open Communication: Coaches help leaders articulate their vision in a way that resonates with employees, ensuring clarity and reducing resistance.
• Building Trust and Engagement: By addressing underlying conflicts and improving team cohesion, executive coaching fosters a culture of collaboration and mutual respect.
• Creating Buy-In from Disruptive Teams: Coaches work with individuals or groups resistant to change, helping them understand how alignment with leadership goals benefits both the organization and their professional development.
• Identifying and Leveraging Strengths: Using tools like Gallup’s Strengths Assessment, executive coaches help teams recognize their unique contributions, ensuring they feel valued and aligned with the company’s strategic objectives.
• Developing Long-Term Accountability: Coaching provides structured follow-up mechanisms to ensure that alignment is maintained, with measurable improvements in engagement, productivity, and workplace morale.

How iRISE Executive Coaching Can Help

At iRISE, we use Gallup’s Strengths Assessment to help healthcare leaders understand their natural strengths and uncover potential blind spots. Through targeted coaching sessions, we help
leaders:

• Develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence
• Improve conflict resolution and communication skills
• Build stronger, more effective relationships with their teams
• Navigate high-pressure situations with confidence and clarity
• Align their vision with team objectives to foster organizational unity

By addressing disruptive behaviors proactively, healthcare leaders can cultivate a culture of trust,
accountability, and high performance while minimizing financial risks.

Final Thoughts

Disruptive behaviors in healthcare leadership can’t be ignored—but they can be addressed
constructively. Executive coaching offers a strategic, sustainable way to transform problematic
behaviors into leadership strengths. By fostering self-awareness, accountability, and professional
growth, coaching enables leaders to build healthier workplace dynamics and ultimately improve
patient care, team morale, financial stability, and organizational alignment.

Repurposed from: https://www.iriseexecutivecoaching.com/how-to-tell-someone-they-
need-an-executive-coach/