The most consequential intelligence in healthcare may not live in dashboards or strategic plans — it may live in the hallway conversations leaders are willing to stop and have.
Front-line teams offer a ground-level view that boardrooms rarely capture: the friction, the nuance and the human reality of care delivery. For leaders willing to listen, those insights are informing not just operational priorities but leadership practice itself.
In this Becker’s Healthcare Leadership Council column, health system executives share the front-line moments and conversations that have stayed with them, and how those experiences are changing the way they lead.
Question: What’s something you’ve learned from your front-line teams in the past year that changed or refined your leadership approach?
Andy Mueller, MD, CEO, MaineHealth (Portland)
One thing our front-line teams have reinforced for me this year is that great strategy only matters if the work on the ground is easier to do. What they consistently ask for is less friction — fewer barriers and leaders who genuinely understand how their day unfolds. That insight has refined my leadership approach. As we think about transforming to meet the needs of our patients and communities, our responsibility is not just setting direction, but staying close to the front line and making it easier for them to deliver the care our communities depend on.
Craig Albanese, MD, President, Integrated Care & Coverage, Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.)
Over the past year, I’ve been reminded how much wisdom lives on the front lines. During site visits and conversations with care teams across the nation, one theme kept surfacing: our people want to spend more time caring for patients and less time navigating complexity. That reinforced something important for me as a leader — our job isn’t just setting strategy, it’s removing friction. When we simplify workflows, standardize where it makes sense and deploy technology to reduce administrative burden, we restore time for what matters most: human connection. Healthcare is ultimately people taking care of people, and our leadership decisions should make that easier, not harder.
Lisa Shannon, President and CEO, Allina Health (Minneapolis)
Rounding and listening sessions are a meaningful part of my leadership practice. Some of my greatest influencers are care team members who consistently go above and beyond for patients, colleagues and the communities we serve. The everyday lessons of dedication, empowerment and perseverance, which often go unnoticed, continue to inspire me. Whether it’s volunteering time, paying close attention to critical details or identifying small efficiencies that cumulatively contribute to the larger goals of our organization — these actions reflect deep pride in the work. One personal takeaway from these conversations is how essential they are to refueling my leadership energy. Both encouraging and candid feedback remind me how steady and committed our teams remain, even amid ongoing uncertainty in our industry.
Patrick Hwu, MD, President and CEO, Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, Fla.)
In order to reach more patients closer to where they live, Moffitt Cancer Center has expanded our outpatient footprint across the Tampa Bay area. Over the past year we opened two robust new outpatient campuses in South Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Launching new facilities is a major undertaking, but our teams approached both projects with such coordination and professionalism that they made it look seamless. From clinical teams to environmental services and operations, everyone adapted to ensure patients receive the same exceptional care found on our main campus. This experience reinforced an important leadership lesson: We must trust and empower our people. When talented teams are given support and space to solve problems and tackle complex projects, they rise to the challenge.
Pete November, President and CEO, Ochsner Health (New Orleans)
Engaging directly with team members on the front lines provides crucial insights into day-to-day challenges, uncovers patient and team member needs, and identifies where investments in time, resources and capital are most impactful. Through rounding, I have made it a priority to stay connected with these teams, ensuring open lines of communication for their voices to be heard. This approach empowers teams to share ideas and propose innovative solutions, strengthening decision-making and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration. Ultimately, these efforts drive the creation of strategies aligned with the priorities of our teams, patients and the communities we serve.
Robert C. Garrett, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.)
When I round at our hospitals, I am reminded of how our front-line teams are patient, present and compassionate. They deal with people every day who are navigating serious challenges in their lives and help reassure them, comfort them and heal them. As a healthcare executive for more than 40 years, I relish being with front-line teams because it brings me back to the mission and why I got into healthcare in the first place. I feel refreshed and bring more compassion, patience and presence to my leadership responsibilities, and in the process become a better leader.
Robert Stone, CEO, City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.)
Over the past year, I have been reminded how much leaders can learn from the people closest to the work. Three things stand out for me.
First, the human side of the work matters most. Healthcare is fundamentally human work. Technology, research and strategy all matter, but at the center of everything we do are people caring for patients and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Our teams remind us why the mission exists.
Second, front-line teams shape innovation. Many of the best ideas come from the front line. Innovation often begins with the people solving problems for patients in real time. Our teams play an essential role not only in executing our strategy but in shaping it.
And finally, leadership requires intentional listening. I’ve learned that listening can’t be passive; it has to be deliberate. When you spend time with front-line teams and ask the right questions, you hear the nuance behind the work: where processes slow care down, where small changes could make a big difference and what patients are experiencing in real time. Those insights don’t always show up in reports or dashboards, but they often shape the most important decisions we make.
Those lessons reinforce the importance of staying connected to our teams, listening carefully and making sure our decisions reflect the experiences of the people delivering care every day.
William Morice, MD, PhD, President and CEO, Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Rochester, Minn.)
First of all, I think fostering an environment where your front-line teams have the opportunity to provide you with honest feedback and feel comfortable doing so is critically important. I may not have learned that in the past year, but certainly the tumultuous times have reinforced that need.
What I’ve really learned from my front-line teams in the past year is how easily messaging is lost or misconstrued as it is delivered throughout the organization to our teams out there doing the work. This has led me to make sure that I am delivering information to them in a variety of formats, whether through key individuals, town halls, small group sessions or written updates, and always doing so with candor and authenticity.
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.