Veterans Day Reflections: 9 Lessons Healthcare Leaders Learned From the Military

Healthcare and the military might seem like different worlds, but many hospital and health system executives who started out in the armed forces have found some of the skills they learned in the service also apply to serving patients.

In honor of Veterans Day, nine healthcare leaders have shared what leadership lessons they picked up in uniform that have carried over to their current roles. Note: Responses were lightly edited for style and clarity. 

1. David J. Bailey, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Nemours (Jacksonville, Fla.).  Dr. Bailey is a U.S. Army veteran, and served in various Medical Corps in roles including pediatrician at Fort Rucker, Ala., and Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.

"The most important leadership lesson I learned during my 10 years as an Army officer is that leadership should always be about service and mission.  Egos need to be checked at the door. There are two important corollaries to this. First, take care of your people, as it is through them that the mission gets accomplished," he says.   

"The second is never quit.  Moving forward, whether in business or the military, requires risk — failure is part of the game. I believe setbacks are just a respite before success. Leaders are needed most not when things are going well, but during adversity to help the team or organization pick itself up and focus on how to execute the mission."

2. Hugh Brown, CEO of St. David's Georgetown Hospital (Georgetown, Texas) . Mr. Brown is a U.S. Navy veteran. He served from 1981 to 1985 as a lieutenant, Supply Corps (Submarine Qualified) and supply officer on the USS Sculpin (SSN 590), a fast attack nuclear submarine stationed in Groton, Conn.:

"The commanding officer of my fast attack submarine, Commander Jim Smith, always stressed, 'The tone is set at the top.' By his example, he challenged each officer to set a tone or culture in their department of integrity, accountability and 'whatever it takes' commitment to the mission. I learned the importance of being consistent and predictable in my leadership style so that those who reported to me could anticipate how I will react and how to meet my expectations," he says.

"By being cognizant of the tone that I set both in the military and in my career as a healthcare leader, I am able to quickly create teams of highly skilled people who work well together, which in turn allow me to focus my efforts on providing direction and resources to them as they execute our mission. It has absolutely been the case in every organization that I have been associated with that 'when the boss has a bad day, everyone has a bad day.' By observing how the captain's tone and attitude was reflected even in the most junior sailor, I am always very aware that my tone and demeanor as a senior hospital leader can truly impact how a front-line caregiver interacts with a patient."

3. Colonel Brian T. Canfield, COO of Moore Regional Hospital (Pinehurt, N.C.). Col. Canfield is a U.S. Army veteran. He served as a Medical Services Corps officer from 1984 to 2012 and was the CEO/commanding officer of Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, N.C., from July 2010 until his retirement from the Army.   

"The most important example that I learned was something that most of us learned from our parents or in kindergarten/elementary school … the Golden Rule. Treat others as you would like them to treat you: with dignity and respect," he says.  

"Another important leadership lesson from my service in the Army was to lead by example and never ask your soldiers to do something that would not do yourself first. Our young men and women who choose to serve our great nation do so voluntarily, and they deserve the very best leadership from all of their leaders — non-commissioned officers, warrant officers and commissioned officers alike. Accomplishing the mission and taking care of soldiers and their families is what leaders do, period.

"These lessons apply similarly in what we do today in caring for patients. Taking care of patients is what we do, and they expect and deserve our very best performance every day. It is an honor and a privilege to serve our Army and our great nation, and it is an honor for us at FirstHealth to provide the very best care for our patients and their families." 

4. Major John Chovanes, DO, Trauma Surgeon at Cooper University Hospital (Camden, N.J.). Dr. Chovanes served as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps and completed two tours of duty at combat support hospitals in Tikrit, Iraq, and Khowst, Afghanistan. 

"Put the welfare and needs of your soldiers and patients before your own," he says.

"Unfortunately, I've found that all too frequently, some leadership in the 'rest of the world' frequently forget that lesson.

"Here at Cooper Trauma, we often deal with massive injuries that require expertise, compassion and true teamwork. Just like a military unit, if we don't have true team cohesiveness, we don't accomplish the task as well as we might have if we all understood the goal.

"Whether Khowst, Afghanistan or Camden, New Jersey, my military leadership lessons were priceless; the experiences reaffirmed my belief in the team concept. As a surgical leader, I must always strive to respect the team and give the best trauma care to all of those in need."

5. Eric W. Dickson, MD, CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care (Worcester, Mass.) . Dr. Dickson is a U.S. Army veteran. He served from 1985 to 1992 as a combat medic and respiratory therapist.

"My fondest memory of leadership from my time in the Army is from an event at Fort Devens in Massachusetts. I ran an ambulance for an infantry group and one day stationed it near the airfield to cover a 'jump zone' for a group of California-based Green Berets. One by one, the C-130 aircraft passed overhead and tiny figures jumped into the sky. My partner and I watched in amazement as, one by one, those figures' parachutes opened and they started hitting the ground," he says.  

"When all was said and done, several hundred Green Berets [had] jumped from the plane and only one was injured — just a sprained ankle. My partner and I took care of the soldier by taping up the ankle and wrapping it with ice packs. As we were doing this, I looked up and saw something I'd never seen before: A 'full-bird' — a colonel from the Berets — picking up the trash from the jump zone with a group of enlisted men. I asked the injured soldier why the colonel was doing this, expecting from my experience that he would already be at the Officers' Club relaxing while the enlisted men cleaned up the mess.

"The soldier stated, 'Not our colonel. He never asks us to do anything that he wouldn't do himself.' The soldier continued, 'He'll be the last one off the field and the first one over here to check on me. Because of that, there's nothing we wouldn't do for him.'

"If there is one thing I learned from the Army, it's that a leader should be the last in the chow line and the first in the firing line. If you are, there is nothing your people won't do for you."

6. Kenneth C. Morris, Senior Vice President, Treasurer and CFO of Duke University Health System (Durham, N.C.).  Mr. Morris is a U.S. Army veteran. He served as a commissioned officer from 1973 to 1979.

"My service as an officer in the U.S. Army between 1973 and 1979 was a privilege that largely shaped my life and helped to develop leadership and management skills that have underpinned my career in healthcare financial management since.  During that time I had the distinct honor to serve with officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers who represented the best of America.," he says.  

"We learned the value of honesty and directness in our dealings with one another, the importance of decisiveness and the criticality of teamwork.  As the commander of an artillery battery in Germany, I truly understood what it meant to have to lead under difficult and adverse conditions, and the importance of developing subordinates upon whom my own success would depend. All of these lessons are ones that I have passed on to my team here at Duke. "  

7. Vicky Orto, MS, RN, NEA-BC, CNO and Patient Care Services Officer of Duke Regional Hospital (Durham, N.C.). Ms. Orto is a U.S. Army veteran. She served as a licensed practical nurse stationed at the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Fort Bragg, N.C.

"Spend even a few minutes with someone that has served or is serving in the military and you will hear amazing stories of leadership. The most impactful lesson that I learned during my years in the U.S. Army is that everyone is capable of being a leader and that growth as a leader increases with mentorship and high expectations," she says.

"Also, those of us that are experienced leaders have a responsibility to be mentors and role models in this area. This lesson is one that I continue to use daily as a healthcare executive. I share with all of my staff that our patients depend on us to advocate for them during some of the toughest times in their lives and that those with leadership skills are excellent advocates."

8. Derick Ziegler, CEO and Administrator of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis (Memphis, Tenn.).  Mr. Ziegler is a U.S. Army veteran. He served as deputy commander for administration of Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu and spent a total of 23 years in healthcare administration for the Army. 

"I learned that, as a leader who faced many challenges in my Army career, it was always important for me to frequently revisit my core values and principles that are the qualities that led to my success as a military officer," he says.

"Of significance was the courage to face challenges and to have the moral and mental strength to properly manage and lead; the commitment to be dedicated, with integrity and respect, to the professional and personal well-being of people; to be fair and consistent, with professional tact; to always maintain good relations and to be devoted and loyal to those you lead. These are the same core values and principles that I live by today as a leader of a hospital. My leadership philosophy is always lead from the front."

9. Thomas E. Beeman PhD, President and CEO of Lancaster (Pa.) General Health and President of Lancaster General Hospital. Dr. Beeman is a U.S. Navy veteran. He served as a rear admiral in the Navy Reserve and deputy commander for the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

"Leadership is not for the fainthearted. Leadership requires implicit trust in oneself and one’s team. In the military, the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer might be the one to rescue a mission, just as the leader might direct a team to successfully execute the mission," he says.  

"As such, being a part of the military has taught me the value of agape love, the willingness to lay down one's life for the sake of another because you recognize and value the roles each individual plays on a team. Few other roles in our society require this type of willingness to trust in others as in the military and, as a leader, this has been an invaluable lesson. Particularly during these recent times of change, this perspective on the contributions of others is critically important to maintain order while remaining dynamic in a constantly evolving environment."

More Articles on Healthcare Leadership:
The Power of Priorities: How Hospital Leaders Can Regain Control of Their Time
5 Tips for Community Hospital Survival
9 Secrets to Communicating Change Within Healthcare