Leading in healthcare today means learning in real time. The past year has challenged executives to navigate division, uncertainty and rapid change — while staying true to mission and people.
Amid policy shifts, financial pressures and workforce fatigue, leadership itself continues to evolve. Members of Becker’s Healthcare Leadership Council share lessons they could only have learned through experience: the importance of clarity, decisiveness and grounded purpose.
Their reflections show that leadership growth often comes from discomfort. Whether moments that demand conviction, service or resilience, these stories underscore that in today’s healthcare landscape, progress requires leading with empathy and steadiness when it matters most.
Question: What’s one leadership lesson you’ve learned in the past year that you couldn’t have learned any other way?
Andy Mueller, MD, CEO, MaineHealth (Portland)
This year I learned that [author and researcher] Brené Brown is right — clarity really is kind. I didn’t learn it by offering great clarity, but by witnessing the confusion that came when I didn’t. I realized that it doesn’t matter how clear something feels to me; what matters is how clear it is to others. That lesson came at a cost, but it’s now a personal directive for 2026.
Bradley Haws, CEO, Clinical Enterprise, University of Iowa Health Care (Iowa City)
Control what is in your environment. It is easy to get discouraged when faced with a barrage of challenges, but if you focus on your environment, you can have a transformative impact.
Our burn treatment center is a good example of this — it’s the only [comprehensive] burn center in the state. Over the past year, our leaders have taken a historically difficult environment to work in and turned it into a positive, rewarding environment. Nurse communication has improved, as well as teamwork. When staff understand what is within their sphere of control, they feel empowered to make a difference.
Damond Boatwright, President and CEO, Hospital Sisters Health System (Springfield, Ill.)
As Hospital Sisters Health System celebrates our 150th anniversary this year, I’ve found myself reflecting deeply on the legacy we carry forward. The milestone, along with the commemorative events, visits from our International Sisters and the many moments spent walking down memory lane, have underscored a profound leadership lesson for me: the enduring importance of mission.
These experiences have reminded me that while strategies and structures may evolve, it is our unwavering commitment to compassionate care and respect for life that truly defines us. Carrying forward this legacy through our healthcare delivery is not just a responsibility — it’s a privilege that continues to shape my leadership journey in ways I never anticipated.
Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO, Penn Medicine (Philadelphia)
This year has been a reminder of how important it is to stay grounded in the mission, no matter the pressures from outside. Academic medical centers face threats to funding, growing complexity in care and challenges in training the next generation of health professionals. Experiencing these realities firsthand makes it clear how easily distractions — from economic shifts to policy changes — can pull attention in every direction. Leadership means keeping decisions rooted in the organization’s core mission, which at Penn Medicine is advancing research, educating future clinicians and caring for our communities.
Marschall Runge, MD, PhD, former CEO, Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor)
One leadership lesson learned this past year is the necessity of decisive action amidst organizational division. While broad input is crucial, achieving consensus on critical issues, such as mandates around federal funding or gender-affirming care, is increasingly challenging. As a leader, I’ve come to appreciate that I have to make timely decisions in the institution’s best interest, even when facing vehement disagreement. Patience and understanding are paramount, recognizing that deeply held opposing views may not change.
Robert C. Garrett, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.)
Given the unpredictability and tumult in the industry right now, I would say staying centered and agile is a lesson I have learned repeatedly this year. There are so many headwinds coming out of Washington, as well as persistent financial challenges, workforce issues and other complexities in leading a major health system. It’s easy to get distracted. Now more than ever, we need to make sound decisions in a high-stakes environment. As CEO, I believe remaining centered and agile not only helps me succeed, but sets the tone for the entire organization to adjust to new conditions and recover quickly from challenging situations.
Robert Stone, CEO, City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.)
This past year reinforced for me that leadership is less about legacy and more about service. When my daughter began medical school and received her white coat, I was moved not only as a proud parent but as someone who has spent three decades in healthcare. That ceremony — a symbol of entering a life of service — reminded me that to truly lead and care for others, you must also care for yourself and your people.
If you don’t find a way to recharge, you can’t be fully present for patients or colleagues. Too often in healthcare, we focus on helping or fixing, but that can create distance between caregiver and patient. True leadership, like medicine, is rooted in service: in seeing people as whole individuals and walking beside them. That’s how we build a legacy of compassion, discovery and hope that endures.
William Morice, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Rochester, Minn.)
This year reiterated the essential value of having a clear strategic plan. The clinical diagnostics industry is rapidly evolving, driven by advances in technology and uncertain geopolitical, regulatory and reimbursement environments. Success requires organizations to pivot frequently and explore unfamiliar solutions while not losing sight of their ultimate goals.
In this climate, a dynamic strategic plan enables agility in changing direction and clarity on the best way to respond, even in times of uncertainty. Tying decisions back to that plan reassures staff we continue to move toward the same goals and uphold our values, without which these adaptations are disorienting, and it becomes difficult to keep people on board.
