Advertise on podcast: Healthcare Leadership Excellence

In this episode, I sit down with Stan Lewis, former federal investigator and mediator and author of Evict the Doubts That Have Been Squatting Rent Free in Your Mind, for a conversation about servant leadership, conflict, and the doubts that can keep leaders from moving forward. Stan draws from nearly 700 mediated cases to explain why people become stuck in conflict. We discuss the importance of listening beyond the words, asking better questions, understanding different behavioral styles, and helping people focus less on being right and more on finding a path forward. We also explore what servant leadership really looks like. It isn't about being soft or avoiding accountability. It is about showing people that you are for them, supporting them, and creating an environment where they can do their best work. Our conversation closes with an issue I see frequently in healthcare: talented people being promoted into leadership without being taught how to lead. Stan shares why leadership training, coaching conversations, and intentionally supporting your people matter when moving from colleague to leader. This is a practical conversation about addressing conflict, moving beyond self-doubt, and becoming the kind of leader people know is genuinely in their corner. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Brandon Fielding to explore the connection between how leaders think, react, and interact with the people around them. Dr. Fielding brings experience in psychotherapy, executive coaching, and organizational leadership. We discuss how that clinical background helps him recognize the patterns that can influence a leader’s behavior, while keeping coaching focused on performance, relationships, and growth. We also explore what happens when leaders move outside their “window of tolerance.” Dr. Fielding explains how stress and perceived threats can push us toward reaction instead of thoughtful action and why learning to recognize those signals and slow down can make us more effective leaders. Our conversation turns to new leaders, particularly in healthcare, who are promoted because they are exceptional at their craft but suddenly find themselves needing an entirely different set of skills. Awareness, emotional regulation, trust, and the ability to navigate difficult conversations become just as important as technical expertise. Dr. Fielding leaves us with two practical reminders: slow down and set boundaries. Leadership is not about managing everyone else’s emotions. It starts with managing your own response so you can show up with greater clarity and intention. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Larry Kuhn to explore what happens when strong business thinking meets a deeper understanding of people. Larry shares his journey from growing up on an Indiana dairy farm to becoming a CFO, and eventually making a major career change to become a clinical psychologist. That combination of business, data, and psychology has shaped how he approaches leadership today. We talk about the importance of insight—understanding yourself, becoming curious about how others experience you, and recognizing the patterns that influence behavior and relationships. Larry also shares a memorable lesson from his father about plowing a straight row: instead of constantly looking backward, focus on a point ahead and let it guide you forward. It’s a simple but powerful lesson about leadership, vision, and helping people move toward something rather than pushing them there. We also discuss workplace culture, the relationship between supervisors and employees, and why great leadership requires more than competence. As Larry explains, it takes theory, technique, and heart. This conversation is a reminder that leadership is not only about results. It’s about understanding people and creating the relationships that help them grow. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I welcome Dr. Rob Orman back to the podcast to talk about his new book, Supranormal, and the realities of building a sustainable career in medicine. Rob shares his own experience as an emergency physician and the struggles he faced early in his career. We discuss why the same grit that helps physicians survive high-pressure situations can become a problem when it becomes the answer to everything. As Rob puts it, “In crisis, grit saves you. In burnout, it buries you.” We explore the difference between having a “renter” versus an “owner” mindset toward your career, and why creating a fulfilling professional life often requires subtraction rather than simply adding more. Rob also explains the idea of a “plus one”, something outside clinical work that brings energy, meaning, and greater career longevity. Our conversation then turns to conflict. Rob shares practical ways leaders can replace defensiveness with curiosity, including the simple question, “Tell me what you’re thinking.” We also discuss the 10% rule: looking for the part of another person’s idea that has value instead of immediately judging or dismissing it. This conversation is a reminder that resilience is not simply about pushing harder. Sometimes the better path is to slow down, become curious, create better boundaries, and intentionally build a career and a life that can last. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Kim Best, founder and president of Best Conflict Solutions, to talk about something many leaders would rather avoid: conflict. Kim shares her path from working as a critical care and emergency room nurse to becoming a mediator and conflict management expert. We discuss why conflict can feel so threatening, why our past experiences shape the stories we tell ourselves about other people, and how the “ladder of inference” can cause us to reach conclusions before we fully understand what is happening. We also talk about broken trust, difficult workplace relationships, and the importance of separating the person from the problem. Kim explains why moving forward does not mean ignoring what happened in the past, but it means understanding it, learning from it, and getting clear about what needs to change. Our conversation also explores the role of HR and why organizations need to build conflict competence instead of expecting HR to solve every disagreement. A key takeaway from our conversation is simple: conflict is normal. The goal is not to eliminate it. The goal is to develop the skills to handle it well. For leaders, especially those working in healthcare, technical expertise can only take you so far. The ability to navigate conflict, preserve relationships, and have productive conversations is a leadership skill that matters just as much. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with returning guest Lorraine Armijos, founder of LAR Insights, for a conversation about strengthening organizational systems and developing the leaders responsible for making them work. Lorraine shares four gaps she commonly sees inside organizations: clarity, visibility, capability, and rhythm. We discuss how these gaps can create silos, unclear expectations, stalled progress, and teams that are working hard without always knowing what success looks like. We also explore what happens when high-performing individual contributors are promoted into leadership roles without the development they need. Being an excellent nurse, physician, therapist, or technical professional does not automatically prepare someone to lead people. New leaders need support in delegation, feedback, difficult conversations, accountability, and understanding how their role contributes to the larger organization. Our conversation also touches on the balance between micromanagement and being too hands-off, the importance of meaningful check-ins, and why leaders need to get out from behind their desks and understand what is actually happening on the front lines. This conversation is a reminder that developing strong leaders and building effective systems have to happen together. When organizations invest in both, they create greater clarity, stronger teams, and a better foundation for lasting success. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I welcome Shandy Welch back to the Healthcare Leadership Excellence Podcast for a conversation about work ethic and what leaders can do to help people develop it. Shandy shares the story of spending her summers at Elk Creek Ranch in Wyoming and the influence of Hap Ridgeway, who challenged her as a teenager to help build a mile-long fence. What stayed with her was not the fence itself, but having someone believe she was capable of doing something difficult before she necessarily believed it herself. We discuss how that same principle applies in the workplace. Leaders can set high expectations, but expectations alone are not enough. People need to feel valued, heard, acknowledged, and connected to something greater than themselves. Shandy also shares why leaders need to slow down and invest time in relationships. When she began developing a total joint program at a hospital, she spent her first two months getting to know the people, teams, and surgeons before seeing a single patient. That investment created the trust and understanding needed to build something successful. The conversation is a reminder that developing work ethic is not simply about asking people to work harder. It is about knowing your people, believing in their potential, giving them meaningful challenges, and creating the kind of relationship that makes them willing to take those challenges on. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Alan Cohen, pediatric neurosurgeon and author of Comfort Always, for a conversation about the balance between extraordinary medical skill and the human side of healing. Dr. Cohen shares lessons from four decades of caring for children and families facing some of the most difficult diagnoses imaginable. We discuss why technology can treat disease, but kindness, compassion, humor, honesty, and hope remain essential to healing the patient and supporting the entire family. We also explore humility in leadership. Dr. Cohen explains why he works to flatten the hierarchy in the operating room, create an environment where everyone can speak up, and remind even the most accomplished physicians that confidence and arrogance are very different things. Our conversation also touches on uncertainty, artificial intelligence, surgical judgment, and the importance of remaining curious and observant. Despite remarkable advances in medicine, Dr. Cohen reminds us that sometimes the most important thing a physician—or a leader—can do is slow down, listen, and see the person in front of them. This conversation goes well beyond medicine. It is a powerful reminder that leadership is ultimately about people, and that no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I welcome Dr. Jamie Hardy back to the Healthcare Leadership Excellence Podcast for a second conversation, this time focused on organizational well-being, leadership retention, and creating cultures where talented people want to stay. Dr. Jamie and I discuss why well-being has to go far beyond wellness perks, gym memberships, or programs. When physicians, nurses, and leaders feel depleted, unheard, or disconnected from decision-making, organizations risk losing not only great people but also their experience, relationships, and institutional knowledge. We explore the divide that can develop between administration and frontline clinicians and why meaningful collaboration has to begin before major decisions are made. Dr. Jamie shares how leaders can listen more effectively, gather honest feedback, and move beyond the mindset of, “We already tried that.” We also talk about rebuilding trust after difficult organizational experiences. Through several real-world scenarios, Dr. Jamie demonstrates the power of listening, reflecting back what you have heard, and asking a simple but important question: What would make this feel worth it for you? A key takeaway from our conversation is that retaining great people requires more than asking them to stay. Leaders have to create environments where people feel heard, valued, respected, and able to do excellent work without being chronically depleted. This is a practical conversation about culture, trust, collaboration, and what healthcare organizations can do differently to keep their best people and help them thrive. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jamie Hardy, a pharmacist, speaker, and wellbeing strategist known as the “Lifestyle Pharmacist,” to explore what happens when high-performing healthcare leaders spend too long operating under constant stress. Dr. Jamie shares her own wake-up call: experiencing what she thought was a heart attack while sitting at her desk in the hospital. Although her heart was fine, the experience forced her to recognize that while she was helping lead others, she had stopped effectively leading herself. We discuss what chronic stress does to the body and brain, including how prolonged elevations in cortisol and adrenaline can affect judgment, empathy, decision-making, and performance. More importantly, Dr. Jamie explains why leaders cannot simply push through depletion indefinitely. She also shares practical ways leaders can begin taking better care of themselves without completely overhauling their lives—from how they spend the first 60 to 90 minutes of the morning to hydration, movement, nutrition, strategic rest, and building habits that actually last. A key takeaway from our conversation is simple: leadership starts with self-leadership. If we expect ourselves to consistently show up for our teams, organizations, and patients, we have to build systems that allow us to perform without continually depleting ourselves. And this conversation is only the beginning. Dr. Jamie will return for part two, where we’ll move beyond individual wellbeing and explore what organizations can do to create healthier, more sustainable cultures for their leaders and teams. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Mitchell Jeffery, founder of The Ember Collective, to discuss one of the most difficult transitions in healthcare leadership: moving from being a respected peer to becoming the leader of the team. Drawing from his background in behavioral health, HR, and organizational development, Mitchell shares practical advice for new and experienced leaders who want to build trust while leading effectively. We explore why technical expertise alone is not enough to lead people well. Mitchell explains the shift from tactical thinking to strategic leadership and why the best clinicians are not always the best managers. He offers practical strategies for earning credibility, finding mentors, and developing the interpersonal skills that leadership requires. A highlight of the conversation is Mitchell's memorable "What Car Does She Drive?" principle. A simple but powerful reminder that leaders must genuinely know the people they work with. We discuss how curiosity, empathy, and authentic relationships can transform difficult working relationships and create stronger, more trusting teams. We also dive into topics including organizational culture, employee experience, performance reviews, conflict conversations, communication breakdowns in healthcare, and why asking thoughtful questions often leads to better leadership than rushing to conclusions. Throughout the conversation, Mitchell reminds us that great leadership is ultimately about making work better for the people we lead while creating an environment where both individuals and organizations can thrive. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Gilkes-Smith, healthcare operations consultant, doctoral candidate, and founder of The Focused Leader, to explore what truly shapes the patient experience and why it starts long before a patient enters the exam room. With more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience, Melissa shares practical insights on improving operations while creating cultures where both patients and employees thrive. We discuss the importance of understanding the entire patient journey, from the first online search to the final bill, and why leaders must look beyond satisfaction scores to identify the moments that matter most. Melissa explains how small operational issues often have a greater impact on patient perceptions than the quality of clinical care itself. Our conversation also focuses on leadership development in healthcare. We talk about the challenges clinicians face when they transition into leadership roles, the difficulty of managing former peers, and why organizations need to invest intentionally in developing leaders rather than assuming clinical excellence automatically translates into leadership success. Finally, we explore the connection between employee experience and patient experience, discussing why culture, emotional intelligence, recognition, and effective conflict management are essential for building engaged teams that consistently deliver exceptional care. Melissa also shares the philosophy behind her Focused Leader coaching program and her passion for helping emerging healthcare leaders grow with confidence. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with MaryCay Durrant to explore an unconventional but deeply practical approach to leadership. Drawing from decades of experience in Fortune 100 companies, MaryCay shares how nature provides a powerful framework for leading people through change, building trust, and creating healthier organizations. We discuss why many workplaces continue to operate like machines, even though people are living, dynamic systems that thrive through connection, purpose, and relationships. MaryCay introduces her Return on Energy (ROE) framework, challenging leaders to think beyond productivity and instead consider how their leadership either restores or depletes the people around them. Our conversation also explores lessons from nature and horses, including the importance of trust, healthy pressure, creating space for reflection, and understanding that meaningful growth often happens through small, intentional changes rather than dramatic transformations. MaryCay explains why the strongest leaders are not those who control the most, but those who remain grounded, consistent, and connected under pressure. A key takeaway is that leadership is less about pushing people harder and more about creating the conditions where people can do their best work. By learning from the patterns found throughout nature, leaders can build organizations that are more resilient, more innovative, and ultimately more human. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Adeste Sipin, Director of Academic Support at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, to explore an important leadership challenge: how to use data and artificial intelligence without losing sight of the people behind the numbers. Adeste shares how he built an academic support program from the ground up by listening first to students, understanding their experiences, and using data to guide better decisions rather than define a person's worth. We discuss why failure should be viewed as information rather than identity, and why metrics should always serve the mission instead of replacing it. We also dive into the growing role of AI in education and leadership. Adeste explains how he's teaching future physicians to use AI as a thinking partner rather than a shortcut, helping them develop stronger reasoning, better questions, and deeper self-awareness instead of simply accepting answers. A key takeaway is that great leaders balance accountability with genuine care. Data provides direction, but understanding the story behind the data is what allows leaders to coach, develop, and help people reach their full potential. Throughout our conversation, Adeste reminds us that every metric represents a person, and leadership is at its best when we never lose sight of that. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

In this episode, I sit down with Lon Hecht, CEO of Care2You, to discuss what it takes to lead innovation in healthcare while staying grounded in humility, ethics, and service. Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare services, and executive leadership, Lon shares lessons from leading one of healthcare's most innovative care delivery models. We explore how Care2You is bringing emergency department and hospital-level care directly into patients' homes, improving access, reducing costs, and creating better experiences for patients, providers, insurers, and hospitals alike. Lon explains why solving healthcare's biggest challenges requires creating value for every stakeholder, not just one. Our conversation also turns to leadership. Lon reflects on becoming a CEO, the importance of knowing both your strengths and your limitations, and why great leaders surround themselves with people whose expertise complements their own. He emphasizes that humility is not a weakness but one of the foundations of effective leadership. We also discuss innovation, creative problem solving, and the growing role of artificial intelligence. Rather than allowing AI to replace critical thinking, Lon believes leaders should use it as a thought partner while continuing to develop their own judgment and decision-making skills. Finally, we discuss conflict, ethical leadership, and the guiding principles that have shaped his career, including kindness, transparency, accountability, and doing what is right even when it is difficult. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.