The sources from which leaders in academic medicine draw motivation might not be considered typical, Mount Sinai Health System CEO Brendan Carr, MD, told Becker's.
"They are really motivated by this belief that we have a responsibility to take care of people. That is not a normal leadership trait," Dr. Carr said. "I feel privileged to know that this is baked into our ethos and that we are all in service to the people that trust us with their lives."
Dr. Carr was named CEO of the New York City-based system in November. It includes 48,000 employees across eight hospitals, a nursing school, a medical school, outpatient practices and labs.
Empowering patients and staff
His leadership style stems from his experiences in the emergency department, where patients often enter with uncertainty on their minds, he said.
"They want the big questions answered before you have complete data, which means that you need to be really thoughtful about empowering anyone who has a voice to provide insight into the answer," Dr. Carr said.
That mission is about comforting and healing the patient, and it is no different in leadership. It also entails creating a healing and safe workplace to empower team members and allow them to grow their careers, he said.
Dr. Carr said a willingness to roll up one's sleeves and be part of solving the problem is necessary as a leader, even when it entails the less-than-appealing tasks associated with care.
"There's a lot of grunt work," he said. "There is literal heavy lifting."
At the same time, it is important for leaders to know when to step back and let experts shine.
"In a team-based working style where people are empowered, you have to be humble about the fact that you're never going to know as much about this small sliver of the portfolio as the person whose whole career is focused on that," Dr. Carr said.
Crystallizing the question
When tackling tough decisions, Dr. Carr said articulating them beforehand is the most crucial step.
For example, New York City has an almost unlimited demand for healthcare. If the question surrounds how to improve care for the most marginalized people in the city, the answer is "as much as we possibly can," Dr. Carr said.
"But now we need to put real parameters around that," he said. "What does that mean? How much can we do while continuing to make sure that we're around for the next century to take care of the community?"
In addition to crystallizing the question, it is necessary to get the data and analysis right, Dr. Carr said.
"Then you get to weigh in with all the subtleties of what's important to you, what the organization needs and what the community needs," he said.
The challenging part of decision-making is understanding where there is uncertainty and lining up the data to make the best possible decision, Dr. Carr said, adding that utilizing that process makes it easier from the beginning.
As an academic health system, Mount Sinai's goals differ from those of startups that want to be acquired or companies that are maximizing profits, Dr. Carr said.
"Our goal is this messy, wonderful blend of advancing scientific knowledge, educating the next generation and driving the clinical care that we deliver in a way that makes sense for our patients," he said