Of Life and Leadership

“You have cancer”.

Twenty-three years ago, I heard those words from my doctor.

My diagnosis was colon cancer, discovered randomly during a routine physical. I had the good fortune of finding Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, Chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Chicago. Michelassi is a world-class surgeon and, as I would eventually discover, an even better human being. After a year in Dr Michelassi’s care, he pronounced me fully healthy, and I happily returned to my life. Since that time, Dr. Michelassi has moved on to Cornell where he is currently Chief of Surgery at the Weill Medical College. I have not seen him since, but it was not the last time I encountered this amazing man.

A short while ago, I was at my annual dermatology checkup with Dr. Keymoumars Soltani, also at the University of Chicago. As we concluded my appointment, he was looking through my file and noticed Dr. Michelassi’s name sprinkled throughout the papers. Without provocation from his patient, he said, “He was the best boss I ever had.”

?Hmm. That was random. Or so I thought.

Later, I was again at the University of Chicago for a checkup with Michele, a PA in the gastroenterology department. After reviewing my file, Michele also noticed Dr. Michelassi’s name. And guess what? She echoed Dr. Soltani’s sentiments, commenting that Dr Michelassi was also her best boss. Additionally, ?Michele told me the current Chief of Gastroenterology at U of C, who also worked for ?Dr Michelassi was indebted to him for his ‘best boss’ leadership.

This was getting interesting.

Recently, I was grabbing a beer with a friend, Jeff , who works in a non-medical leadership role at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Without mentioning Dr. Michelassi’s name, I told Jeff about my conversations with both Dr. Soltani and Michele. And, without hesitation, Jeff said, “They are talking about Michelassi, aren’t they?”

Extraordinary.

Upon reflection, I could not help but notice how well Dr. Michelassi’s leadership traits aligned with those we discovered in our Best Boss study. He is a mentor and advisor who universally treated everyone he met, from direct reports to peers and patients, with trust, respect, and dignity. He treated everyone equally, with kindness and compassion. And he always led with his values. Dr. Soltani, Dr. ,Michele and Jeff were lucky to have Dr. Michelassi as a leader in their work world. And I was lucky to have him as my doctor.

If you have enjoyed this post, I encourage you to take a few minutes to ponder these following questions:

·?????? Is there someone like Dr. Michelassi in your life? He / she could be a boss, teacher, mentor, coach, or someone else who inspired you to be your best.

·?????? What did this person teach you?

·?????? Have you said thanks to this person for being such a positive influence in your life?

·?????? How have you carried these teachings forward into your leadership style? Into your organization?

·?????? Does your organization expect ‘Best Boss’ leadership behaviors from its leaders?

Best Boss! The Impact of Extraordinary Leader, ?published by Business Expert Press in August 2022, has sold over 1,000 copies worldwide. You can buy our book ?at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Walmart. It is available on the Skillsoft learning and leadership development platform. It can also be ?found online at 81 university libraries across the globe and on the HOOPLA public library site (www.hoopladigital.com ).