Expanding Skills, Expanding Value

What challenges prompted you to attend PLD?

The skills needed to succeed in clinical work or research are very different from those needed to run a health care organization. This often results in a disconnect: the people performing medical or scientific work don't know much about business, and the people managing the hospital don't understand the clinical work they support. The field needs more clinicians who can also work as business leaders to support the whole infrastructure and grow the mission. PLD is helping Children's Hospital move in that direction.

What was the highlight of your PLD experience?

PLD was the first time in 25 years that I had spent intellectual time in a concentrated fashion with anyone outside medicine. I developed intense relationships with people from many different areas and cultures. I've made lifelong friends I trust and can continue to lean on for advice, consultation, a listening ear, and sometimes a shoulder.

What surprised you most about the program?

I was struck by the fact that the training path in medicine is quite long and narrow, resulting in delayed maturation. We go to college, finish medical school, train in a specialty, do a residency and a fellowship, and then start at the bottom of the totem pole in our early 30s. A decade or more later, we may take on leadership responsibility. In PLD, I learned a lot from other participants who were a decade younger but had far more experience in management and leadership.

How did PLD change your view of yourself?

The program really helped me understand how I interact with others. While we were viewing a video of a group exercise, our coach hit the pause button and said, "Steve, do you understand how what you just said changed the dynamic? If you hadn't done it that way, the group would have reached the correct answer 20 minutes earlier." It was enlightening to see myself on video, hear that observation, and watch my peers nod their heads.

How has PLD enhanced your skills as a leader?

PLD improved my ability to draw out the opinions of others and help them express their thoughts so that they can add more value.

Colleagues have noticed that I've changed the way I interact in meetings—I now listen more than I speak. I've learned that, given my personality, I'll eventually get my thoughts out. But if I listen to what other people have to say first, I might not have to say anything. Sometimes other people have a better idea.

How would you summarize the value of PLD?

This program builds the skills of people with great natural abilities by putting them in a setting where they can learn through intense interactions with peers. PLD has helped me develop personally, and I'm now able to better serve the institution and my colleagues.