Name: Kimberly Halva

Title: Vice President, Senior Counsel

Organisation: Fairview Health Services

Location: United States

Kim Halva is Vice President and Senior Counsel for Fairview Health Services, an industry-leading, award-winning, nonprofit offering a full network of healthcare services. Kim serves as the principal attorney and Corporate Secretary for Fairview Pharmacy Services, a subsidiary of Fairview Health Services, with 40 retail and 12 inpatient pharmacies; 1,500 employees; 1.2 billion in annual revenue; and over 2.5 ambulatory prescriptions filled each year.

Kim has more than 25 years of legal experience in health care, successfully advising insurance companies, health care providers and pharmacies on the legal complexities impacting their businesses. She leads the legal functions for Fairview’s pharmacies, transportation, imaging, and laboratory services, advising on governance, nonprofit status, legislation, and licensure.

She oversees Fairview's legal strategy related to 340b, CAR-T therapies, specialty pharmacy, drug diversion, and pharmacy contracting. Her expertise extends to complex health care payments and regulatory matters, including 340b, risk adjustment, and government reimbursement methodologies.

Before joining Fairview in 2016, Kim served as legal counsel and the Medicare Finance Compliance Officer for UnitedHealth Group. She earned her law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law, her master's degree in public health from the University of Minnesota and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Kimberly's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Leadership can be hard. Different days create different obstacles and opportunities, so facing things head-on is essential. A good leader needs to: provide inspiration and motivation; develop and help others grow; managing resistance and uncertainty; and truly respect different perspectives. I personally find managing resistance and uncertainty to be one of the most challenging aspects of leadership. I don't like to change any more than the next person. I am impatient and want answers as soon as possible. Waiting for a situation to play itself out can be maddening and disruptive.

Although change can be difficult, I also know it is an opportunity for growth. Successfully navigating change takes vision, courage, empathy and humor. Approaching change as an opportunity allows me to better communicate the purpose and benefits of the change, collaborate with diverse stakeholders, commit to the change process, and cope with the stress and uncertainty that change brings. By developing and demonstrating these qualities, I hope to inspire trust, engagement, and resilience in my teams and the larger organization.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Over the past twenty-five years I have served as in-house counsel for various healthcare organization throughout Minnesota. I have never had a traditional hierarchical leadership role leading the day-to-day performance of a group or department. However, as legal counsel, my roles have always required me to lead through influence rather than management.

For me leadership by influence means: using data and research to support my recommendations; listening actively and empathetically to clients, colleagues, and counterparts, understanding their needs, concerns, and expectations; and setting an excellent example, modeling the behaviors and standards that I expect from others. Most importantly it means treating the business as if it were your own, showing loyalty and integrity.

When an organization's values align with your own, negotiation and advocacy for the organization comes more naturally. Not only do you want to do your job, but also genuinely care and feel protective about your and your teams impact. It can take time to find an organization that you feel personally invested in, so don't be afraid to look around and ask question before joining a new organization. It took me over fifteen years, to find an organization like Fairview Health Services, and I could not happier or proud to call it my home.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I start my day early, at 5:00 am, when I log in and check the messages. I reply to the important ones and archive the rest. I also approve the invoices and contracts that need my signature and send them back to the relevant parties. This takes me about two hours. At 7:00 am, I take a break from work and spend some quality time with my family. We have breakfast together and chat about our plans for the day.

I enjoy this time as it helps me relax and bond with my loved ones. It also help me start my day off with a smile. At 8:00 am, I resume my work and start preparing for the daily meetings that I have to attend. I review the agenda, the reports, and the slides that I need to present or discuss. I also make some notes and questions that I want to raise. I make sure that I have all the information and materials that I need for the meetings. I also use this time to draft letters, contracts and other in-depth communications.

I write best in the morning and find I am much more productive when I make time in the morning for drafting contracts or communications. If I wait until later in the day, there is a good chance it will have to wait until the next morning. At 9:15 am, I join the daily huddle with my team. We update each other on our progress, challenges, and achievements. We also share feedback, ideas, and suggestions. We celebrate our successes and support each other with our difficulties. The huddle lasts for about 15 minutes and helps us stay connected and aligned. It is by far the most effective and immediate way to share important information.

From 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, I work on various tasks and projects that require my attention and expertise. I communicate with my clients, colleagues, and partners via email, phone, or video calls. I also attend some meetings, webinars, or workshops that are relevant to my work. I take a break for lunch around noon and walk my dog for some fresh air and exercise. I try to manage my time and energy efficiently and effectively, by taking numerous shorter breaks through the day.

Giving myself time away from work to think, is the best way I have found to come up with unique and innovative solutions to complicated problems. If I spend too much time obsessively noodling a problem, the process is infinitely more painful and time consuming.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

I am reminded again and again about how important it is as a leader to ask questions and don't assume you know something until you have asked. My dad always said to us growing up. Get in there and play dumb, someone will tell you what you need to know. Over and over again strategy leaders assume that they understand the complexities of implementing a project, but don't ask the people doing the work what the project will really take.

This leads to unreasonable deadlines and unnecessary stress on the team. A good leader respects every members role on the team and integrates their needs into the decision making and planning process. Ask questions and then ask more questions. The more information you have, the better decisions you can make and the happier your team will be.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

I am a lover of fiction and John Irving novels. John Irving's characters embody the key leadership qualities of vision, courage, empathy and humor. Irving’s characters often have a clear sense of purpose and direction, even when they face obstacles or opposition. They are not afraid to take risks, confront their fears, or challenge the status quo.

They are able to understand and relate to the feelings and perspectives of others, even when they disagree or have conflicts. Moreover, they use humor as a way to cope with adversity, express themselves, or connect with on another. I aspire to be a leader who embodies these same qualities, a courageous leader open to change and thoughtful reevaluation of perspectives.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

I am a lover of fiction and John Irving novels. John Irving's characters embody the key leadership qualities of vision, courage, empathy and humor. Irving’s characters often have a clear sense of purpose and direction, even when they face obstacles or opposition. They are not afraid to take risks, confront their fears, or challenge the status quo.

They are able to understand and relate to the feelings and perspectives of others, even when they disagree or have conflicts. Moreover, they use humor as a way to cope with adversity, express themselves, or connect with on another. I aspire to be a leader who embodies these same qualities, a courageous leader open to change and thoughtful reevaluation of perspectives.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

Often leadership is incorrectly seen as a position rather than an attitude, culture or way of being. The pandemic was a time of unprecedented challenge and uncertainty for everyone, but especially for health care organizations like Fairview Health Services. Behind the scenes, there were so many non-healthcare workers who played a vital role in supporting the healthcare system and protecting our community.

They do not get enough credit for their contributions or leadership. These are the people who work in administration, finance, human resources, information technology, security, maintenance, and other essential functions. They dealt with global staffing and supply shortage, price gouging, delivery delays, increased security threats, technical glitches, changing of regulatory requirements, and much much more. They had to make quick and smart decisions, often under pressure and with limited information.

They made sure to communicate regularly and transparently keeping everyone updated on the latest developments and challenges. Every day for over two years, they showed that everyone can be a leader, and that leadership is a collective and collaborative effort that requires the contribution and support of all. They also showed that leadership is not a position or a title, but a mindset and a behavior that anyone can adopt and practice.