Responsible

Responsible is the personal account of a CEO who survives and leads through the acute phase and aftermath of a deadly workplace shooting at a major medical center in southern California. It offers profound insight into the effects of trauma on individuals and on the culture of an organization, an organization that had previously been assumed to be safe and immune to acts of violence occurring within it. In a gripping narrative, the author captures the impact of the shooting on leaders and staff who are accustomed to working in an environment where trauma victims are brought to the hospital for life-saving care, but who find themselves unexpectedly responding to an internal tragedy that directly involves their own team members and that is further complicated by the identity of the shooter and his rumored motive.


The book addresses the unique dilemmas faced by the organization and its leader and the multiple perspectives which emerge as people search for answers to why it happened and whether it could have been prevented. It unflinchingly examines the boundary between the personal and the professional for the CEO as she guides the organization amidst the life-shattering event, through the subsequent re-traumatization, and throughout the arc of the healing process. Her struggle to come to terms with her own developing symptoms of PTSD and her experience as a vulnerable patient are conveyed with a candid and poignant honesty that offers hope and understanding for anyone who has experienced trauma or tragedy  and deeper insight and awareness for everyone else.


About the Author


Dr. Diana Hendel is a healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience leading at all levels of complex organizations. She served as CEO of one of the largest hospital complexes on the US west coast and has held key leadership roles in the California Children’s Hospital Association, Hospital Association of Southern California, and the Southern California Leadership Council. She has also served as chair of the Greater Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and as the Leader-in-Residence at the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at California State University Long Beach.


Diana has spoken at numerous regional and national conferences on the topics of healthcare and leadership and presented at TEDx SoCal in 2011 (“Childhood Obesity: Small Steps, Big Change”). She earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UC San Francisco. Currently, Diana is the Senior Partner at Partnership Advantage, a consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals and teams achieve optimal performance and cultivate strong and healthy organizational cultures.