Becker's Hospital Review

48 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP POPULATION HEALTH 32 thoughts on leadership from women in the healthcare industry By Mackenzie Bean, Kelly Gooch, Morgan Haefner and Hannah Mitchell I n honor of International Women's Day March 8, Becker's Hospital Review asked women in the healthcare industry to share their insights on leadership. Here are 32 women who offered words of ad- vice for healthcare leaders: Nancy Howell Agee. President and CEO of Carilion Clinic (Roanoke, Va.). e events of the past year have brought unique and un- expected challenges, and women across the country have risen to the occasion. In health- care, in particular, where the majority of our workforce are women, they are lauded as he- roes. And they are. Looking ahead to the fu- ture, women will continue to provide strong leadership as we enter the new digital era COVID-19 accelerated. With the growth of telemedicine, artificial intelligence and other technology advances, I can't think of a more exciting time to be in healthcare. Olesea Azevedo. Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Al- tamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth. For many women, the eternal question is, "How do I give myself fully to home life and work life?" is endless search for balance can leave us depleted. What if we did a per- sonal inventory to understand if we are ded- icating the same passion and intensity to our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being as we are to our work? is would mean tru- ly setting aside time and energy to focus on mind, body and spirit. Could wholeness be within our reach? Jasmine Ballard. Administrative Director at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute (Charlotte, N.C.). Women in leadership have been crucial to help make decisions and manage quick change with empathy and un- derstanding of the load so many have had to bear. As a mid-career leader, the best advice I have received is to always lead with authen- ticity and transparency. It is imperative that we create cultures of excellent performance while also recognizing that the leaders and teams that report to us are human. We must consider the whole person and not the one we think should show up at work today. Odette Bolano. President and CEO of St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center (Boi- se, Idaho). Effective women leaders are strong in all the characteristics you would ex- pect in any leader: Integrity, trustworthiness, visionary, effective communicator, influenc- er, strategic and financial acumen, passion, understanding, team player, collaborator, self-reflective, ability to learn and grow from experiences and humbleness. Providing lead- ership in an industry predominately made up of women requires them to be at the table and engaged in creating change that is fueled by their commitment to a diversified workforce not only reflective of gender, race, and ethnic- ity but diversity of thought and perspective. Marna Borgstrom. CEO of Yale New Hav- en (Conn.) Health. is past year has been challenging to leaders everywhere, especially those in healthcare. But it's also underscored what makes a good leader — and for many women, these traits come naturally. e first is humility. Good leaders are self-aware enough to understand their own shortcom- ings and to value the expertise of others. e second is courage. at means not letting the fear of failure amid uncertainty get in the way of doing the right thing. And the third is the ability to drive alignment and collaboration. Stacey Brandt. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital. Leader- ship is about serving others. Support and li up your team to make them the best versions of themselves by giving them the resources and guidance they need to be successful. at in turn makes you successful, which makes the organization successful. Realize that no one person can do it all — surround yourself with a strong team. Support them, celebrate them, and reward and recognize them oen. Joan Coffman. President and CEO of St. Tammany Health System (Covington, La.). e COVID-19 pandemic has tested many of our leaders, especially as it relates to how they lead. With my own healthcare team, I have witnessed many inspirational moments and watched as the challenges made them even stronger and inspired them to greatness. We oen think about strong leaders being very analytical and strategic, but during the pandemic we really needed to demonstrate vulnerability and empathy and lead with our hearts. Balancing a tactical approach with a more human touch was essential as we suc- cessfully navigated through these unprece- dented times — together. Lisa Davis. Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Blue Shield of Cali- fornia. is is the time for authentic leader- ship — to really get to know our people and what their unique struggles are during this pandemic. As leaders, we simply can't afford to lose more women from the workforce who need to prioritize their responsibilities to their families. If we have open conversations to understand what is happening, we can help women in our organizations and offer flexi- bility so they don't have to abandon their ca- reers. And personally, I know that while we can do as much as we can professionally to pull women forward, it all starts at home. We need more partners to step up to support us in our careers. Christy Dempsey, DNP. CNO Emeritus of Press Ganey and Adjunct Faculty Member at the Missouri State University School of Nursing (Springfield). is is advice I wish I had received early in my career: As a wom- an, it may be difficult to get to the leadership table. Don't stop trying. It's easier now than it was, and it will be up to you to make it easier for future generations. It's not easy, it is sometimes scary, and oen it's not popu- lar. at's what leadership is and that's what leaders do. But good leaders surround them- selves with people who know more than they do and augment the leaders' strengths and fill in for the leaders' weaknesses. ose who fol- low the leader are as or more important than the leader herself. Humility, courage, passion, fortitude and love are the values that inspire people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or creed to create, innovate and grow. Lisa Deschamps. Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer at Novartis Gene erapies. e power of my compa- ny's mission is what energizes me. We are here to transform the lives of patients liv- ing with rare, genetic diseases. Our focus is on a population that is so oen le behind in the healthcare system. For me, there's no better reason to push through a problem than to focus on the end goal. As a lead- er, it's imperative to anchor the team to our collective purpose, but also recognize each individual team member is motivated by diverse and unique factors. is is why I always ask my team, "What drives you?" Story continues on page 49

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