Creating Space, Paying it Forward: Reflections on Leadership

This week, I was honored to receive the inaugural Women Leaders Vanguard award from Modern Healthcare and enjoyed sharing the story of my career journey with MHC Editor Mary Ellen Podmolik .

I’ve been fortunate in my life and my career to have wonderful role models and sponsors who encouraged and inspired me. In high school, I pursued the role of boys’ football team manager rather than cheerleader – and my mother fully supported my choice. In college, I chose to major in math, not a traditional path for young women at that time. And early on in my career, I had a sponsor who steered me into roles I didn’t think I could master and wouldn’t let me fail even when I wanted to give up.

Reflecting on how my parents encouraged me to follow my passions and to be my authentic self and how my sponsor saw potential in me I didn’t know was there, I recognize now that these were amazing gifts.

And I believe in paying those gifts forward. Today, women comprise 80% of the health care workforce, but hold only about 20% of leadership positions. I see the responsibility of the 20% to bring along the 80%. That’s why I am committed to developing other women in the field and providing them opportunities to shine, as experts and innovators.

I have tried to be intentional in building a team of leaders that spans many dimensions of diversity (they all happen to be women) and showing my trust in them by creating a non-judgmental space where they can take risks and, in turn, make space for other women to sit at the table. My proudest professional moments are seeing women I have mentored and sponsored go on to leadership positions.

And no one becomes a leader overnight. It requires tremendous effort. I often raised my hand for the hard jobs that no one else wanted to do, because I could see in those jobs an opportunity to make a difference. I also absorbed everything I could about the levers driving the business so I would understand how to drive strategy for impact.

An important lesson I’ve learned along the way is this: deciding how you want to lead is just as important as driving results. While I am a little reluctant to admit this, because it is stereotypically a “female” trait, managing relationships is key to how I lead. Building connections with stakeholders takes time and care, but those strong working relationships create a foundation of trust, which is critical when the organization faces its most pressing challenges.

Another crucial lesson is that leading is not always about being the person talking at the front of the room. Leading from behind, subordinating your ego, putting the company’s agenda before your own, and most important, making space for diverse perspectives are leadership competencies I have admired in others and adapted to my own style. It’s also critical, of course, to know the right moment to pivot from the background to the forefront and have the courage to say, “Here’s what I believe we should do.”

Foundational to this kind of servant leadership are values in action, which are my leadership “North Star.” Chief among them is assuming positive intent, closely followed by making what you know clear and accessible to others, being curious and actively listening, without judgment (harder than it looks), speaking up with candor and respect, and raising your hand when you need help or when you can help. At the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, we strive to demonstrate these and other values in action, leaning into a culture where we See it, Own it, Solve it and Do it.

I feel truly humbled to receive an award for overall career achievements in health care. I also believe that every leader in health care can do more and be better. I challenge all of us to build the kind of inclusive and equitable cultures that will position the next generation for successful leadership as we navigate a landscape of unprecedented change – and unlimited potential.