WittKieffer Impactful Leaders Podcast

Physician Leaders Must Earn Their EQ Degrees: Kierstin Kennedy

Physicians are usually natural-born leaders, but their leadership skills may need revising and refining as they transition into administrative roles. IQ becomes less important whereas EQ and the utilization of listening and people skills become imperative. In this podcast, WittKieffer Consultant Vinny Gossain interviews UAB Medicine Chief Medical Officer Kierstin Kennedy, M.D., on her personal journey into administration and how she discovered that emotional intelligence is more essential to leadership success than one's medical knowledge and general intelligence. "Leadership is about understanding your team, who has what skill sets, who's passionate about what, and aligning passion and skill set so they can do incredible work," she says. As leaders ascend to new heights, they may never get the "power" they want, but they can certainly get the satisfaction they crave, she says.

Solving the Talent ”Math Problem”: Bob Batory

Workforce issues are most healthcare leaders' number one challenge today. In the current environment, says Bob Batory, Senior Vice President for Human Resources at WellSpan Health, employees are in the driver's seat and can dictate their employment conditions (and salary), creating a "math problem" that healthcare leaders must solve. One clear solution will be artificial intelligence, Batory says, which will replace some of the functional roles that are commonplace in today's hospitals and health systems. In this conversation with WittKieffer Managing Partner Paul Bohne, Batory shares other solutions that healthcare providers must implement if they are to recruit and retain top talent and solve the math problem in the future. He also looks at what "uncomfortable" changes healthcare HR leaders will need to make to thrive in the years ahead. One final piece of advice from Batory: "Be the rabbit!"

Building Personal and Organizational Resilience: Monique Butler, MD

In a way, healthcare is experiencing post-traumatic stress from the COVID pandemic, believes Monique Butler, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer of HCA Healthcare North Florida Division. The industry must now pay more attention to building back the strength and resilience of nurses, physicians and other essential workers, as well as of leaders themselves. In this conversation with WittKieffer's Linda Komnick, managing partner and leader of our Physician Integration & Leadership practice, Dr. Butler describes efforts she and HCA have taken to instill resilience throughout the workforce. Her advice to leaders and working professionals in general, "Take care of yourself first." The conversation also explores Dr. Butler's transition from full-time practitioner to full-time executive and the rewards that has brought to her career.

An Interim Healthcare CEO’s Secrets of Success: Kerry Watson

Being an interim CEO requires an executive who relishes new challenges, learns on the fly, and makes a significant impact in a finite period of time. In this podcast – part of WittKieffer's Impactul Leaders Podcast series – Lydia Ostermeier-Haynes, principal in WittKieffer's Interim Leadership practice, speaks with long-time healthcare CEO Kerry Watson on the secrets of success in an interim role. Watson has more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, including several high-profile CEO tenures.

Inspiration and Well-being: Scott Kashman

Inspiration doesn’t always come from the a-ha moments in life. It can be found in the small experiences in each day—in healthcare, the smile from a patient, the high five from a colleague, the awe-inspiring expertise of a physician or nurse. Wherever inspiration surfaces, it can alleviate stress and foster well-being.
In this podcast – the first in WittKieffer’s Impactful Leaders Podcast – senior partner Dan Young converses with Scott Kashman, MHA, FACHE about finding inspiration at work and the factors that promote executive and staff well-being. Kashman is the President & CEO of Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside (formerly market president and CEO of St. Dominic Health Services and St. Dominic Hospital) and co-author of the book Mindful Healthcare: Healthy Team, Healthy Business. A key to encouraging well-being, Kashman maintains, is to give individuals more control over their circumstances so they feel inspired to improve them.