Recently, I had the opportunity to speak on a Beckers Hospital Review Podcast where I discussed the importance of strong values, my inspirational mentors and military experience which paved the way for the growth of my professional journey in the healthcare sector.
“By saying Bernard Tysons and Warner Thomas’ name out loud and then mentioning my military background, it reminds me of the many leaders who spent time to give me some tough messages and conversations. I could spend an hour talking about the many people who deposited into my life and career but also around the values of courage, integrity, and professionalism. One of the most important values being really knowing your business.
“In healthcare, the business is about putting the patient first, in the center of the conversation. They should be wrapped around caregivers, physicians. This would be best in terms of the access, quality and also patient experience while we are trying to make a much more affordable health care system.
“All of this takes a lot of courage and insight around the business. In the business, we are trying to find ways to continue to drive down business acumen to all levels in the organization. We are trying to get business acumen down to the level of the manager in the front line because we want to engage them. I learned this in the military. In the military, everything is about trying to get the front-line staff, soldiers, sailors and airmen to really own their business and then make sure they fulfill the mission.
“The next thing about leadership which I learned from both Warner and Bernard is that you need to have purpose and be mission driven. These are two leaders who embody a mission-driven culture that also has a strong vision for the future. As a leader, you need to communicate the vision and not let the world distract you. You need to be focused on the vision while you are ensuring that people are making sure the mission is solid.
“Additionally, what I have learned at Ochsner is strong values like putting patients first, integrity, inclusivity, compassion, teamwork, and excellence. This has led me to learn that as a leader, if your personal values align with the organizational values that’s a sweet spot for success.”
