Michael Gentry, CEO of Kettering (Ohio) Health, values hearing from all perspectives — especially from those with whom he disagrees.
Since taking the helm in 2023, Mr. Gentry has led the 14-medical center, 15,000-employee system, which also operates more than 120 outpatient facilities, by relying on honesty as a central physician engagement strategy.
Becker’s connected with Mr. Gentry to learn more about his leadership style and the mindset shift he believes the healthcare industry needs.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What’s something the healthcare industry isn’t talking about enough?
Michael Gentry: I think we talk about plenty of things. I’m not sure we have a solution mindset, and I think that stems from the percentage of our revenue that’s set by the government. In a normal industry, you can set the price, and then the market determines whether they agree with the price or not.
We talk about everything a lot, but we need to move more toward being a results-oriented industry, rather than just admiring our difficulties.
Q: What was your first job? Biggest thing you learned?
MG: When I was 14, I worked for a summer digging a steam tunnel, and I learned the value of having a good boss. It was a really hard job, but the gentleman I worked for was very clear about expectations. He helped explain when I didn’t know something, but he also had very high expectations.
The other part is, if you work really hard, you can get a lot done. He helped me think through that a great work ethic is beneficial, even if you make mistakes — if you can outwork the competition. It’s cool to say we work smarter, not harder, and that goes so far, but sometimes you actually have to show up and do the hard work. Having a fair, reasonable person working with you in a constructive way as a first boss — I was blessed.
Q: What’s an unpopular — or uncommon — leadership or healthcare opinion you have?
MG: We have a tendency in our industry to be victims. We get together and lament our challenges, rather than saying we are absolutely committed to figuring things out and doing things better. I think the reason we’re that way is because part of succeeding or surviving when you’re running a health system is having good relationships with physicians, and sometimes honesty is sacrificed to maintain that relationship.
We have a fear of laying out what needs to change because we don’t want to disengage individuals who have spent years training. But they would benefit more by being respected and having very honest, crucial conversations. Then, you ask them to help you with the situation at hand — not pretend the challenges don’t exist and navigate around them. It’s about moving from a political mindset to a performance mindset. These are extraordinarily talented professionals, and we’re going to lean into them and engage with them. It’s thinking about engagement as a strategy, rather than appeasement.
Q: What are you reading up on now to prepare for the next three to 10 years?
MG: My family was sort of a STEM family, so I try to stay up with what’s happening in the world of science to keep my mind on the potential advancements that are coming.
I also try to read parcels from everything, including things I don’t agree with, on purpose. The year the Affordable Care Act passed, Virginia had not become an expansion state yet. The hospital association and board members were talking about what needed to be done, and some people were all in — meaning they were going to achieve it no matter what. I went around at that time and talked to all the people who were opposed to the topic, and they had some good points. It pivoted my own thinking to: How would I solve those points if I had that point of view?
I saw people blow up relationships legislatively and create quite a mess trying to get a quota win. That helped me. I’ve got a very strong personality, and I thought, “I’ve desperately got to be someone that gets very interested in understanding the philosophical framework and rationale of people who have different opinions.” In a weird way, the ACA helped broaden my perspective a little bit.
