The Corner Office series asks healthcare leaders to answer questions about their life in and outside the office.
In each interview, leaders share the piece of advice they remember most clearly. Here are answers collected by Becker's Hospital Review since April.
Keith Churchwell, MD. President of Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital: Make sure you are working to be an expert in your profession and enjoy what you do. If you don't, you need to do something else.
Bill Gassen. President and CEO of Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.): Always surround yourself with people who are smarter than you — working in healthcare makes this pretty easy for me.
I've learned so much by listening carefully in places where passion, intellect and diverse perspectives are shared daily. I have always sought to build a team around me with people who help make us better by contributing their unique talents and expertise.
I am also a believer in servant leadership — a philosophy that tilts toward the deliberate sharing of influence and decision-making. It means putting the needs of employees and patients first and paying it forward by providing resources and encouragement to help the team develop and excel.
Vedner Guerrier. CEO of Memorial Hospital Miramar (Fla.): A mentor once told me there are three types of people: those that watch it happen, those that ask what happened, and those that make it happen. He then asked, "Which kind of person do you want to be?" I always want to be the person that makes it happen.
Rich Liekweg. President and CEO of BJC HealthCare (St. Louis): One of the best pieces of advice I ever received, and that still serves me today, is always to use what I call MRI — the "most respectful interpretation" — of somebody's words, actions or comments. It means always try to interpret things first through the most respectful lens. If somebody has done or said something, assume they have good reason and earnest intent, rather than jumping to being critical or suspicious.
Another bit of advice that has served me well in healthcare is to follow the platinum rule: Do unto others the as they would like to be treated. Too often in healthcare — and in everyday life — we assume others would like to be treated the same way we want to be treated — what we traditionally refer to as the golden rule. In fact, it's often better to ask somebody what they need to feel supported, listen to how they respond and then act with empathy. Be curious. Always ask, "please, tell me more?"
Michael Mayo. President and CEO of Baptist Health (Jacksonville, Fla.): "God gave you two ears and one mouth; use proportionately." That always reminds me to listen twice as much as I speak.
Mike Slubowski. President and CEO of Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.): I can't share just one piece of advice, since I've had many amazing mentors. Be a servant leader, empower people and support them, but also let them grow through challenging assignments and learn through mistakes. Keep moving forward. And revisit your personal mission statement periodically. The most important things for me are faith in God, love of family and friends, good health, happiness and service to others. Those serve as litmus tests that I revisit often to see if I've wandered off. Finally, one of my wise mentors once told me to regularly ask myself "are the communities you serve better off as a result of your work?"