Each year, Modern Healthcare holds the “Women Leaders in Healthcare” conference. This 2-day event brings female executives from across the nation together for professional development and connection. Abby Zimmerman, Director of Implementation and Account Manager, Madison Smith attended on behalf of Prolink and have provided their key learnings below:
1. Your Resume Doesn’t Dictate Your Capability
Panelist Joanne Inman has dedicated 15 years of her career to the Sentara Healthcare network, serving as President of Sentara Leigh Hospital since 2016. During her tenure, she held several leadership roles. She attributes this, in large part, to the fact that she continually raises her hand for new opportunities. Her career growth has been dependent on her willingness to learn and take on new challenges, rather than her previous experience.
2. Meet Others Where They Are
Leana Wen, keynote speaker and Public Health leader—also one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019—stressed the importance of meeting people where they are. From our patients to the people in our community, we owe it to others to work with them in a space where they feel comfortable and safe. Her message is, “The simplest interventions can make the biggest difference.”
3. Conflict Management and the Role it Plays on Productivity
During their breakout workshop, Sherrie Barch, President of Furst Group & Nubrick Partners, and Joe Mazzenga, Managing Partner of Nubrick Partners, shared that on a weekly basis, 2.8 hours are spent dealing with workplace conflicts due to ego, stress and workload. Additionally, approximately 76% of people go out of their way to avoid someone at work instead of resolving conflicts as they arise. They shared tactics for dealing with workplace conflict, such as addressing these conflicts immediately and practicing forgiveness. We can directly impact our productivity when these situations are addressed and worked through head on.
4. You Must Be Adaptable to Change to Make Progress
President of UCLA Health and CEO of UCLA Hospital System Johnese Spisso emphasized that healthcare is an endlessly changing industry. From technology and policies to how we approach leadership and development, we need to adapt and continue learning to keep up with the ever-progressing healthcare sector.
These speakers, and the many others at the conference, shared a wealth of knowledge and left attendees feeling ready to tackle their challenges as women leaders in healthcare.
