My lessons learned in 2020 and observations for the future of healthcare

It’s that time of the year when we all reflect on the past twelve months and think about our lessons learned. Given the historic nature of all we have lived through, one thing is certain: 2020 will get more than its fair share of year-end commentary, and probably criticism.

On one hand, so much has transpired around the world – from a global health crisis, to social, political and economic challenges – it feels like change was omnipresent. On the other, it’s often felt like Groundhog Day as our lives have come to a standstill. Seemingly overnight, familiar and simple pleasures, such as enjoying a meal with extended family or going to a concert with friends, are no longer possible and our daily routines have merged in complicated ways as we juggle our personal and professional responsibilities at home.

While it is important to look back, I prefer to look forward with hope and optimism that what we have learned during the past year will serve us well in 2021 and for years to come. 

Below are the key learnings that I believe will shape our journey ahead:

• Speed and agility. While the need to quickly adapt didn’t originate with COVID-19, it’s been impressive to see just how fast we can move as individuals, businesses and communities. Within a matter of days at McKesson, we completely transformed the way we operate, transitioning thousands of employees to work from home, and implementing new processes and procedures to keep our essential workers safe on the front lines. This abrupt change required seamless coordination across the company – from information technology deploying hundreds of workstations and building new infrastructure, to human resources developing and putting into effect unprecedented policies and benefits – to best support our employees and uphold our commitments to our customers. Moving forward, we need to remember what’s possible when we all work together with intense focus and hardwire these best practices into our day-to-day operations. Big companies can sometimes move slowly, but 2020 proved we can move fast when we go together. Let’s make this our new norm.
• Rapid adoption of innovation and technology. 2020 shattered decades-old assumptions about healthcare, and with the onset of the pandemic, we were forced to give up long-held beliefs about the best way to deliver it. In just a few months’ time, we’ve been able to accomplish years’ worth of advancements in support of more consumer-centric care – from telemedicine, to delivered prescriptions, to in-home health, etc. While rapid innovation hasn’t always been synonymous with healthcare, as we look ahead, finding new solutions will be a permanent part of how we continue to support the delivery of the highest quality, most affordable healthcare possible. 
• Collaboration. This year, we’ve worked across boundaries and collaborated as one global community in the fight against COVID-19. And with a renewed sense of commitment and heightened focus, we’ve come together within and across industries and forged public and private partnerships to help protect the health and well-being of people around the world. We coordinated closely with federal, state and local agencies on efforts to bring personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential supplies to healthcare facilities and front-line workers worldwide – and when PPE sourcing was especially challenging we led a creative partnership with Walmart to make more supplies available. In addition to other leading companies, we were proud to collaborate with the Federal Emergency Management Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate the resupply of critical products across the U.S. As we look to the future, we must learn from our shared experiences and foster these valuable relationships so we can continue to work together to tackle more critical health challenges. 
• Workplace flexibility. If someone had walked into my office nine months ago and told me we could essentially move all of our office-based workforce to their homes while maintaining productivity and improving our culture, I would have laughed and told them they were crazy. But that’s exactly what we did. We have a long list of incredible accomplishments and forged stronger connections as a sizeable virtual team. We’ve also established a more flexible culture that helps employees feel supported while we continue to meet business needs and go above and beyond for our customers. Rather than instating a new policy, our approach to a more flexible environment is based on a framework that encourages everyone to think differently about how we work and find success in new arrangements. With this transition, some employees have coordinated with their manager to temporarily adjust their working hours, and others have decided to pursue job sharing – every situation is unique. Above all, when it comes to building a successful workforce, while efficiency is important, we’re more focused on resiliency and supporting each other. This approach and increased level of flexibility will endure long after the pandemic is in our rearview mirror. This is a great example of the good that can happen when leaders continue to challenge long-held beliefs and are open and adaptable to new ideas – even if they seem crazy at first blush.
• Commitment to strategic growth. Early in the year, in alignment with our strategic growth priorities focused on oncology and biopharma services, we made the decision to bring together several areas of our business to form a new insights-driven oncology company, Ontada. When COVID-19 was designated a pandemic, we could have easily hit the pause button on this new initiative, as so much of our attention was shifted to doing our part to address this global health crisis. Instead, we were determined to keep moving forward with this key strategic priority that also has the possibility to improve cancer care. Just recently, we announced the latest milestone in our Ontada launch, an important partnership with Amgen, to improve cancer care in the community oncology setting. While there are always reasons for organizations to adjust long-term goals to address short-term needs, 2020 taught us there are ways to do both well – even in a crisis. This is an important lesson we plan to take forward. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and am even more encouraged by Ontada’s potential to help transform the fight against cancer. 
• The power of togetherness. I was reflecting the other day that I’ve probably had more dinners with my kids this calendar year than the previous several years combined. This is an unexpected gift that 2020 gave my family. On a broader scale, during the most dramatic global effort to keep people physically apart from one another, many new traditions and simpler ways of living have brought us closer together. This year, people around the world have united as a single community. We’ve had courageous conversations about the importance of social justice and listened and empathized with each other as we planned for bold actions to make lasting changes. And not only did we volunteer our time and talents, donate to those in need, or serve as allies and advocates for our friends and fellow community members – we took a stance for the health and well-being of people we may never meet. We truly are better together, and our takeaway is clear: Our universal togetherness will help get us through this next year and the years to come. 

Although 2020 has been the most challenging year, I’m confident that lots of good has come from it. I believe the future is bright and holds tremendous promise, and that forthcoming generations will look back and see this time as an inflection point for positive change. So, while you’re doing your own end-of-year reflections, I hope you’re also looking ahead with just as much enthusiasm and confidence as I am. And I invite you to imagine the future you want and then work to create it in the new year and beyond.

What key learnings are you taking with you into 2021?