Stephanie Conners, MBA, BSN, RN, began her career as a bedside nurse before advancing into leadership roles across several health systems, including serving as executive vice president and COO of Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, and holding executive nursing and operational roles at Tenet Healthcare and Cooper University Health Care. She became Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare’s president and CEO in 2022.
For Ms. Conners, the foundation of her leadership has been finding a purpose bigger than herself — a philosophy shaped by decades in healthcare and reinforced through high-stakes decisions, particularly those made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She brings this personal philosophy to her leadership at Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare, a 16-hospital, nonprofit, community-based academic health system and one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area.
Ms. Conners told Becker’s it is a philosophy that she wants to pass along to other healthcare leaders, particularly amid uncertainty and rapid change across the industry. She also emphasized the importance of purpose-driven leadership to help teams stay grounded, navigate complexity and continue delivering care in challenging environments.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: You describe leadership as something grown “day by day, choice by choice.” As CEO of a 16-hospital system, how do you translate that belief into something operational and measurable across the organization?
Stephanie Conners: My personal mission I identify as making a difference in the lives of others, sometimes one person at a time, and other times, I see situations where I have the ability to influence 34,000 team members and millions of lives. It’s a remarkable point in my life that I believe my leadership style has brought me to this point to show the world that if you lead with compassion and kindness, but also with rigor and purpose, really anything is possible.
I never thought leadership is something you are anointed into. Leadership is not about that. It is earned and it is a choice. You have to earn it, and then you have a choice to stay in leadership and to lead others to make a difference.
Every challenge that you face is a learning experience and an opportunity so that the people you surround yourself with have the ability to be something bigger than themselves and to live with purpose. As a CEO, I have a strong obligation to give them that runway to achieve that and the ability to be their best.
I translate that into my behaviors every day. I am consistent in my presence, my listening skills and my ability to remove obstacles for those who have so much energy and drive. How do we give them the ability to make value-based decisions and to make a difference? People depend on me to give them that space and latitude.
Sometimes individuals will make mistakes, but as long as it is not a fatal flaw, measured risk — whether personal or professional — enables you to do things bigger than you ever imagined. If you do not take measured risk, you cannot be your best. We make mistakes, we hold ourselves accountable and we become better as a result.
Q: You emphasize standing shoulder to shoulder with teams. At the scale BayCare operates, what does staying close to the work actually look like in practice?
SC: It is extremely important to stand shoulder to shoulder with team members and not forget your roots and your purpose.
The best example I have — and while the pandemic was a difficult time, it taught us a lot — is that I was in the field during one of the most challenging times in healthcare. It tested resilience and our ability to adapt to change.
I received a letter from a patient that said, “My husband received extraordinary care, and I am very grateful, but he died alone.” We were very early in the pandemic, and I thought, this is just wrong.
I was COO at the time, so I changed the policy to ensure no patient would be alone at end of life, and that a mother bringing a baby into the world would have their significant other present. No one would leave or enter this world without the people most important to them.
I received significant pushback, but I had to explain: How would you feel if you lost someone and could not be by their side? So we changed the policy, and then others followed.
Sometimes doing what is right is difficult. Not every decision is supported. But if you consistently do what is right, the outcome can be meaningful.
Standing shoulder to shoulder also means listening, asking direct questions and helping people find more effective paths to solutions. Leaders have to be strong listeners and make thoughtful decisions.
Q: Healthcare leaders today are balancing workforce fatigue, financial pressure and rapid industry change. How does a people-first leadership philosophy hold up when decisions are financially or operationally difficult?
SC: In healthcare, there is significant workforce fatigue and financial pressure, and we cannot forget what our team members face every single day.
We were faced with increasing our team members’ insurance premiums. Based on conversations with our team members and the pressures they were experiencing, we made the decision to absorb those premiums, and they never saw them.
Sometimes leadership is about showing what you are doing, and other times it is about doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do.
As the industry and economy change, those pressure moments define a people-focused leadership style. I try to be transparent about the why, acknowledge the impact decisions have and ensure that no one feels alone.
If people have a voice and are part of the solution, it creates clarity, empathy and integrity.
Q: You have also said that titles grant authority but not respect. In this environment, what behaviors do you believe truly earn trust — both internally and externally — and where do leaders most often fall short?
SC: Leaders have to put our people first. If we invest in our people and they trust our leadership and we do what we say, it shows up in our results.
During pressure moments, I run toward the problem, remain steady and protect what matters most — our people, their dignity, their trust and our mission.
Leading with compassion and accountability go hand in hand. Accountability is easier when you lead with consistency and with heart, because people hold themselves accountable.
We are a highly accountable organization, and that is not by accident. We lead with compassion, listen deeply, make value-based decisions and treat everyone with genuine respect.
Leaders fall short when they lead from a distance, rely on slogans instead of presence and forget that authority must be earned. You cannot demand respect; you earn it over time.
If you provide people with the why, remain consistent and build trust, you can overcome challenges. Leaders who lead with heart and compassion create teams that want to deliver, live the values and make a difference.
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