Gail Peace serves as President at Ludi, Inc.
On October 11th, Gail will serve on the panel "HIT - Ensuring ROI, Improving Physician Satisfaction and More" at Becker's Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place October 9-12, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Gail's session, click here.
Question: What is the No. 1 principle you uphold and practice to effectively lead a team?
Gail Peace: It is all about communication. Overcommunicate! Be upfront and honest at all times. And, when you think everyone is on the same page, check in again. Also, get to know the people you are communicating with on a deeper level, whether it’s an employee, prospect or client. As a physician friend of mine once said, if you work regularly with a CMO at a hospital organization, for example, take them out for coffee, and get to know what their day is really like. Because when it comes down to it, we are all people, and we need to understand the other’s perspective and learn how to meet in the middle. And, believe it or not, a quick trip to Starbucks with a colleague might make all the difference.
Q: As a leader, how do you stay connected to the actual work that is being done – and not just by watching others execute, but by executing yourself? If so, how do you balance between leading and executing personally?
GP: It is important to hire the very best people and empower them so they can excel at their jobs. As the founder of Ludi, I feel like I have worn every hat there is to help grow our organization – that includes everything from product development and IT to marketing and client support. But sometimes -- when your job becomes your passion -- it is also hard to stand back and let others take over. Yet, as an organizational leader, you have to learn to let go a little, especially if you want to thrive as a company in the long run. In fact, I have realized over time, we might all do things differently but that is truly okay and healthy. For example, if you have an iPhone and you hate Androids, it does not mean your colleagues who use Androids are less effective and wrong. They can both be right! Ultimately, if we work within the same deadlines and achieve the same goals, then everyone wins.
Q: What does healthcare need more of? Less of?
GP: I believe we need more health care executives who are willing to challenge the status quo. There seems to be a fear of making a decision and getting it wrong. And, as someone who has risked things both personally and professionally to start my own company, I can relate to that feeling 100 percent. But the truth is, when health care executives suffer from decision paralysis, it ultimately plays out the same way every time: they never experience real change. And, doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome is a frustrating and pointless cycle. Many entrepreneurs, especially when they are first starting out, often say, “fail fast and often.” But in health care, and specifically the hospital industry, that kind of adage only serves to rattle the nerves – especially given some of the implications around compliance risk or patient safety. But I still feel, even on a very basic and iterative level, allowing for some change is good and can help transform any organization.