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 November.
John Couris. President and CEO of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital: My mentor, Doug Brown, former president of Enterprise Fleets and executive vice president of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, gave me the most critical piece of advice I have ever received (which is printed and sits on my desk to this day): "Never trade what you want most for what you want now."
Conor Delaney, MD, PhD. President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida (Weston): First, focus on providing the very best care you can for each individual patient, and relate to each patient to the best of your ability. Secondly, focus next on your team and being the best part of your team that you can be — this is how you can provide the best care.
David Dill. Chair and CEO of LifePoint Health (Brentwood, Tenn.): My favorite piece of advice is from my father, who counseled me to always do the right thing — especially when no one is looking. These words of wisdom have served me well in my life both personally and professionally.
Patrick Frias, MD. President and CEO of Rady Children's Hospital and Health Center (San Diego): Early in my career in Atlanta, my mentor Dr. Robert Campbell would say, "The foundation of any good business is service." We were both pediatric cardiologists at the time and we took those words to heart, making service the cornerstone of our clinical practice. I believe those sage words are relevant to what we do at Rady Children's. We are here in the service of the children and families in our community. If we make decisions based on what's best for those we're here to serve, then I think we'll do a pretty good job of driving our business, which, in our case, is the business of caring for kids.
Lisa Shannon. CEO of Allina Health (Minneapolis): I have many amazing mentors and have carried their advice with me throughout my career. Deeply understanding my strengths and weaknesses and ensuring I surround myself with leaders and teams who fill in the gaps has been a constant journey for me. Focusing on development, first of myself, then of those around me, is advice I will always keep close.
Kate Walsh. President and CEO of Boston Medical Center: I reflect most on two pieces of advice, one practical and one spiritual. The practical advice was one "to do" list. If you are juggling work and family, you should put everything you need to do on one list and take things off the list over the course of the day; you can answer an email after 5 p.m., but if you call the orthodontist after 5 p.m., you can't change an appointment. The spiritual advice comes from Maya Angelou: "I've learned that people will forget what you've said, will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel." I try to live by and live up to those words every day.