Strategies for Engaging Staff

Holding a leadership role in a Medicaid agency means hectic pace and being pulled multiple directions. In this dynamic environment, it is challenging to reserve time to focus on staff, their bandwidth, and their understanding of the agency’s vision. Making a commitment to staff morale and finding time for periodic check-ins is a key component of the leadership role.

This Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast features Wisconsin Department of Health Services colleagues Curtis Cunningham, assistant administrator of long-term care benefits and programs, Kevin Coughlin, policy initiatives advisor, and Molly Bohnsack, project portfolio manager. They discuss how they have created an environment that values transparency and staff well-being. Hear the mechanisms they use to engage staff, including transparent communications, “Coffee with Curtis”, and using non-managerial staff to host exit interviews. The conversation is moderated by Gretchen Hammer, senior strategic advisor to the National Association of Medicaid Directors, with insights from Mark Larson, senior vice president of leadership and capacity building at the Center for Health Care Strategies.

Medicaid Leadership Exchange is a podcast series exploring priority topics for Medicaid leaders developed in partnership with NAMD and the Center for Health Care Strategies through support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Visit Medicaid Leadership Exchange for more podcasts, or look for the podcast series on iTunes, or wherever you download your podcasts.