Your clinical leaders are ready for more.
Healthcare promotes people for being excellent at the job they had. This gives them what nobody handed them on the way up. Chris Sund works with health system leadership retreats and management development days on what actually changes when a manager gets better, and he does it as an operator running three healthcare workforce organizations rather than as a consultant.
What a Retreat Has to Deliver
A leadership retreat is a bigger commitment than a conference session. You are pulling directors and managers off their units for a day, which costs real coverage money. The content has to justify that, and it has to survive the drive home.
- Something managers can apply on their unit the following week
- Content that works for a new charge nurse and a twenty year director
- Honest conversation about retention that does not blame the frontline
- Working sessions, not a keynote stretched to fill a day
- Language the executive team and the floor both recognize
The Retention Lever Closest to the Floor
Turnover is usually described as a compensation problem and treated as an HR problem, but the decision to stay or leave is made much closer to the floor than either. It is made in how a direct supervisor runs a schedule, handles a mistake, and follows through on something small. That is a leadership development opportunity, and it is one you can act on without a budget increase.
Chris is President and COO across three healthcare workforce organizations and a Maxwell Leadership certified speaker, trainer, and coach. He sees the vacancy math and the agency spend on one side and the leadership behavior driving it on the other, which is why the sessions connect the two instead of treating them as separate initiatives.
What Organizations Say
“Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our Patient Experience Recognition Dinner. He took the time to deeply understand our organization and thoughtfully personalized his presentation. His message resonated across all roles, engaging, relatable, and inspiring from start to finish.”
Retreat Formats
Opening Keynote
Sets the tone for the day and gives the group a shared language for everything that follows.
Half-Day Workshop
Working sessions on leading yourself, holding a standard, and developing the people under you.
Full-Day Leadership Intensive
The deeper version, with retention, culture, and accountability worked through in small groups.
Executive Team Session
A closed session for the senior team on what leadership behavior is actually costing or saving.
Books, Signings, and Event Promotion
Leadership retreats are the single best fit for the book, because participants have time to use it. A signed copy of You Are Capable of More for every attendee gives the day a spine and something to return to, and it costs less than most systems expect at volume.
Some organizations run the book as a follow-on, assigning a chapter a month with manager discussions in between, which turns a one-day retreat into a year of development. Chris can personalize copies, run a signing during a break, and promote your event across his own channels. Ask about bulk pricing, signings, and promotion when you reach out and it can be quoted with the session as one package.
Who Books This
Related: Healthcare Leadership Keynote Speaker · State Healthcare Association Speaker · Employee Recognition Event Speaker · Nurses Week Speaker · Hospital Foundation Gala Speaker · Nurse Leadership Speaker · Employee Retention Speaker · Healthcare Conference Speaker · Long-Term Care & Senior Living Speaker · Critical Access Hospital Speaker · Rural Healthcare Speaker
What Leadership Teams Ask
Is this a keynote or a workshop?
Either. A retreat can open with a keynote and move into working sessions, or run as a half or full day workshop with small group work throughout. Chris builds to what the day needs rather than delivering the same session at a different length.
Will it work for both new managers and veteran directors?
Yes. The material is built around behaviors rather than tenure, so a first-year charge nurse and a twenty-year director both find something to change. Small group work is grouped so neither is talking past the other.
Can he work with our executive team separately?
Yes. A closed executive session on the same trip is common, usually focused on what leadership behavior is costing in turnover and agency spend, and what a realistic change looks like.
Can this reach leaders from multiple facilities at once?
Yes, and that is often the most efficient way to do it. A system-wide management development day brings leaders from every site into the same room, which usually costs less than sending a speaker to each facility.
Can the book extend the work after the retreat?
Yes. Some organizations assign a chapter a month with manager discussions in between, which turns a single day into a year of development. Signed copies for every participant can be quoted with the session.
What does a leadership retreat speaker cost?
Fees depend on format, length, location, and whether books are included. A half or full day costs more than a keynote because of the preparation and the time involved. Chris is based in Nebraska, which keeps travel costs manageable. Reach out with your budget for a straight answer.
Bring Chris to Your Leadership Retreat
Tell Chris who is in the room, what your turnover looks like, and what you want different when everyone goes back to their unit. You will get a straight answer on fit, format, availability, and budget.
Response within one business day
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