Leaders from two of the top five cancer centers, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, shared with Becker's the best leadership advice they have received.
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Peter Pisters, MD. President of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): To cultivate a personal board of directors as you chart your path toward leadership. These individuals who you consider as mentors, sponsors and colleagues will be able to have honest conversations with you, offer trusted guidance and help organize resources around you to help you close your gaps. I have an enormous depth of gratitude toward my personal board of directors who have played an integral role in my leadership journey.
Robert Stone. CEO of City of Hope: I remember advice I received a decade ago. I had been named City of Hope's next CEO, but I had not yet assumed the role. One of our donors told me that the key to my success will be maintaining the special culture forged over the past 100 years. His advice was to actively meet with employees on the front lines to listen to their insights and concerns and to remember that each of them own a part of our sacred mission. I have taken this advice to heart throughout my tenure as CEO by having regular roundtable discussions. The two rules for these roundtables are that no questions are off limits and that I will protect the individuals' anonymity while asking them to share with their colleagues anything I say. The insights I have gleaned from the dialogue are invaluable and the discussion topics alone help me understand what is top of mind for the City of Hope stakeholders.