Healthcare Leadership Excellence

In this episode, we explore the valuable skill of maintaining calm in the face of chaos and how it can positively impact our ability to lead others through crises. I share four powerful real-life examples of leading through difficult situations and discuss what the “executive brain” is as opposed to the “lizard brain”. Make sure to listen to the full episode to discover how cultivating calmness ca...

Too many people look at leadership as if it's positional. I hear all the time, "Karl, I don't have anyone reporting to me. Why are we talking about leadership?" Leadership is one life influencing another as stated by John Maxwell. If you approach your leadership with the fact that every person you meet needs to be uplifted, inspired, and cared for, every single day there are le...

In this episode, Shandy and I discuss critical thinking, an important topic listed in the top ten skills by the World Economic Forum in 2015. They predicted that by 2020, artificial intelligence would be the fourth industrial revolution and identified certain skills needed to excel in it. Interestingly, none of the skills they identified were technical. Over the next few weeks, we will explore the...

We are privileged to have Dr. Nicole Brooks from Providence Medford Medical Center, share her insights with us today. Dr. Brooks discusses effective relationship-building despite a busy schedule, emphasizing the importance of being interruptible - taking the time to stop what you're doing and fully engage with your staff. Additionally, Dr. Brooks will offer her perspective on communication an...

Today, we have the privilege of hearing from Dr. Richard Jamison, the Chairman of the Board of The Oregon Clinic. As the leader of this multidisciplinary clinic comprising more than 1400 healthcare professionals and support staff, he has effectively steered the organization through the challenging times of the Covid pandemic with remarkable flexibility and modesty. Dr. Jamison strongly believes in...

Today's podcast episode with Dr. Rob Orman, a seasoned emergency room physician and medical leader, delves into the crucial concept of agency across three levels - personal, professional, and systemic. He emphasizes the significance of establishing connections between these levels and being aware of individuals' agency and its source. Additionally, Dr. Orman provides valuable insights on...

In this episode, I speak with Monica Guidry, Associate Vice President of Employee Assistance and Well-Being Programs at UTHealth Houston. She also talks about state of mind and self-awareness to help improve leadership. She shares her background as a competitive swimmer and how her experience as an athlete prepared her for her career. In order to help leaders transition from being positional to in...

In this episode, I talk with Janice Burger, recently retired  CEO of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and Providence Milwaukee Medical Center. She focuses on her mantra of leadership: love your people. Janice talks about using bedrock values of honesty, devotion, and service that she learned from her father and has personified through nearly four decades of leadership within the Providence sy...

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Bonnie Wilson, principal and founder of Xceeding the Mark executive coaching. She shares what she believes are the most important aspects leaders should model such as pursuing personal development and getting a coach. She also explains how imperative delegation is as one transition from being a ‘doer’ to a ‘leader’. The highlight of our conversation is the art of...

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Jason Kuhl, Chief Medical Officer for Providence Medford Medical Center. He shares the lessons he learned from the pandemic and how he leads in such challenging situations. He believes that in order to develop and design a system that works during crisis situations, you need to surround yourself with other leaders who exemplify traits of strategy, transformation,...

In this episode, I talk with Chris Pizzi, Chief Executive Officer of Providence Medford Medical Center. He talks about leading people but letting them problem-solve. He believes that with development and training, people are able to engage themselves in providing solutions to challenges that the organization is facing. He also discussed collaborating and learning from colleagues. As he says, “As a...

Success leaves clues…these are the words of my coach and mentor, Paul Martinelli, which he shared with us in late November. Many of those I work with can produce volumes on what their gaps and failures have been. However, when asked why they have been successful, they use a 3x5 card… As you go into your holiday breaks, can you dedicate some time to thinking what clues you can see from the successe...

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Ndidi Musa, Interim Co-Section Chief, Cardiac Critical Care at Seattle’s Children’s hospital. She believes that leadership is all about influence and shares her way of influencing those she is in charge of. When asked how she delivers sad news to her patients and their families, she mentions that it is possible to deliver bad news in a positive light. She starts h...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Chris Bundy, Executive Medical Director, of Washington Physicians Health Program. He shares his journey as president of the Federation of State Physician Health Plans and what he considers his biggest takeaways. Dr. Bundy speaks about collaborative relationships which is also the highlight of our interview. He believes that in order to collaborate with people, you...

In this episode, I speak with Benjamin McLain, Vice President of Operations at the Springfield Clinic in Illinois. This episode brings incredible insights from a 25-year veteran of senior healthcare leadership. Truly a servant leader, Benjamin explains some of the ways he runs his organization of over 650 doctors throughout central Illinois. He talks about three major questions he asks to bring pe...

In this episode, I talk with Brad Henry, Chief Executive Officer of Providence Willamette Falls Hospital. He is known for the quote he always uses that says “lead with your heart”. In the first part of the episode, he shares what it means to him. We discuss the important topic of attracting and retaining people in healthcare amidst the pandemic crisis. Brad believes that you have to figure out the...

In this episode, I speak with Jennifer Burrows who is the Chief Executive Officer of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. She talks about reflection as a vital aspect of learning, most especially in the early parts of your career. We then discuss resolving conflict, which I have seen her handle superbly in the past years that we have worked together. Jennifer shares that the...

In this episode, I talk with Lisa Halvorsen, Chief Nursing Officer at  Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon. She shares her values and an inspiring question from her family member that she always uses: “What good did you do today?” Lisa speaks of the STAR (Stop Think Act Review) Model when listening to subtle differences in caring for patients. We also roleplay to highlight great l...

Welcome to the second part of the Leadership Lessons From The Pandemic. If you haven’t listened to the first part, please take some time to listen. In part 1 of this series, I share my insights on leadership fundamentals and thinking change that leads to behavior change, all in the context of leading through the pandemic. If in any way I can be of assistance to your roles, please don’t hesitate to...

Welcome to the first part of my first solo series where I share with you the lessons I have learned from a global pandemic, working with superb healthcare leaders. Many of you, in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, experienced what might have been the greatest test of your leadership skills. Allow me to share with you a quote by best-selling author Stephen Covey: “Success is when you realize obs...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Donna Smith, President of Franciscan Medical Group and Senior Vice President of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. She shares with us some of the best leadership practices she has learned over the years such as spending intentional time to get to know her staff and always listening with compassion and curiosity. Dr. Smith also tackles the topic of emotions and how m...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Marty Brueggemann, Chief Medical Officer of Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, about his challenges and life lessons as a leader of change and crisis management. He shares his own experiences connecting with his people. A common theme throughout this episode is of taking the time to listen, acknowledging what your people do, and weaving it into great organizational w...

In this episode, I talk with Shandy Welch, principal and founder of Fresh Eyes Consulting, and one of my go-to persons in the world of executive coaching. Shandy shares her influential leadership journey as someone who worked with healthcare organizational programs for over twenty years. We discuss how challenging leading people can be. Shandy is an advocate of genuine relationships that are built...

In this episode, I speak with Helene Anderson who is the Regional Director for Capacity and Throughput of Providence St. Joseph Health in Oregon. In the first few minutes, Helene shares what influential leadership is and how great things happen if we create a culture where everyone is heard and where people are met where they are. We talk about her success and involvement in two hospitals getting...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Chuck Douville, Division Chief of Surgery at Providence St. Vincent, who is an advocate of servant leadership. Dr. Douville shares with us the influences that made a positive impact in his life and his career in the healthcare arena. He shares what he believes as the factors that drive excellence in people which include listening and understanding, being a learner,...