How a Leader Discovered His WHY!
- Category: Leadership Lens
How Something So Small Can Change a Career Trajectory
INTRODUCTION:
You’re listening to Tiller-Hewitt’s Leadership Lens Podcast. If you’re a leader - or an aspiring leader - who wants to stay relevant and impactful… YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
TAMMY:
Hey Leaders! Today my guest is Scott Johnson – Chief Strategy Officer at St Luke’s Health System. I’ve had the privilege of working with Scott, executing his vision of successfully standing up over 70, yes seven zero physician outreach programs across the country simultaneously. Don’t you just want to hear what makes a man with that kind of vision tick – of course you do - take a listen!
TAMMY:
Mr. Scott Johnson. Welcome to the Leadership Lens Podcast.
SCOTT:
Well, thank you, Tammy. I am very excited to be here.
TAMMY:
You're getting to be a podcast pro, I just listened to your podcast interview with Beckers and enjoyed hearing first of all, just hearing your voice on the end of the, of the radio, but also just hearing about your career journey. Just when I thought I knew you, I was like, dude, you can sell yourself. In our sales training, I always say if you can't sell yourself, why do you expect anyone else to, because really selling yourself is believing in yourself, and you had so many stories about that.
SCOTT:
I want to say that it really is an honor and a joy to be talking with you, Tammy. You are one of the best and brightest minds in healthcare. And you know, of all the people I've met, you are making an incredible impact on the industry, and I hope you remember we met at CHS where we started in one of my hospitals in Gadsden, Alabama working together and then we rolled out that partnership to our division and then it ended up rolling company wide and you made me look like a superstar even though I wasn't, you were the superstar. So, I will always be grateful to you and to your company and the awesome work that you do.
TAMMY:
Well, Scott, wow thank you so much. Yeah, we still talk about the gray hairs that we got during that monster project that you led! For our audience, he’s talking about how we stood up almost 75 liaison programs across the country simultaneously.
SCOTT:
We moved the needle for a lot of our facilities, where you know, if you remember, I know you're a big person about what are the metrics, we took a look at the metrics and we moved the needle from a market share standpoint, from a revenue and growth standpoint. I mean, those were exciting times and good times and I'm really fortunate that I got to meet you.
TAMMY:
Well, thank you. In the introduction, I told our audience about you and most of our listeners are healthcare executives or aspiring executives, but let's give them more about you as a fellow healthcare leader. I want to start by asking you, did you always know you wanted a leadership role?
SCOTT:
Oh, that is a really good question. To be honest, I never really thought about being a leader, Tammy. It's a role that essentially I grew in too over time. I knew that I wanted to be part of a team. I knew I wanted to make an impact in anything I did. I'm always very passionate, intense and focused. And so I knew that, but I had no inkling of being a leader. But thankfully and fortunately for me, other people saw the characteristics and the qualities in me that would position me well for leadership roles, well before I ever had a thought of being a leader, and I'm really grateful to those individuals because over time they encouraged me, they invested in me, they nurtured me and most importantly, they provided me opportunities and they bolstered my confidence.
Without these other leaders who helped raise the next generation, which in my twenties was me, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. I am incredibly grateful to them and thankful that number one, they took the time to help me, and number two that they had the skill set to identify that I could be a leader and could make an impact and make a difference.
TAMMY:
Yeah, I love that. For our listeners on the line, there's a couple of things that you should have picked up here. First of all, not all awesome leaders like Scott is, knew it going in, but he kept his head down working hard and then he was seen by a great leader who's looking for the future generation. So, you know, things lined up well, but just because you don't know, doesn't mean you're not destined to be a great leader, but what I think the message there is, you know, do your job and do a good job and focus, don't constantly be jockeying for positions and someone hopefully will recognize your value and then start the process that Scott just described.
Was there a pivotal point in your career, like a defining moment that felt like an epiphany or an affirmation of your chosen path?
SCOTT:
Yes, I mean, there really was. I was always a marketer and frankly was pretty darn good at it and I enjoyed it. But when I was at CHS, I went to a strategic planning session and kind of watch the dynamics, what was presented and each session was slightly different than the other one. There was no structure to it as far as the presentations, and so I told my boss, who was Debbie Landers at the time, Chief Marketing Officer, a wonderful human being and leader. I said Debbie, I think some tweaking and adjustments to the plan and to the process would gain us more insights faster and more effectively. It would be easier on all the parties involved and I think that we could kind of develop plans that really move the market. And to her credit, she said, look, if you believe that strongly in it, put something together, put a pitch together.
So I did and I ended up doing a presentation that was like a 360 degree view of one of our markets, it was the Carolina's Health Care System market in Florence at the time and in it, we did the 360 degree view which to use the elephant analogy. You know, we didn't just look at the trunk or the ears or the feet or the body, we looked at the whole market, satisfaction market share opportunities and presented it to these leaders a really holistic approach. And to my great surprise, it created a lot of buzz within the company, and one thing kind of led to another and next thing I know I'm up in the President's office with Debbie and the President of the company said, hey, I would like for you to develop our strategic plan and our implementation process here at CHS.
Frankly Tammy, I was very naive and at the time I declined the request. I said thank you but I'm a marketer, I'm not a strategist. I just did this because I thought it was beneficial to the company. And lucky for me, Debbie Landers was there with me and she kind of started laughing and said to Mr. Smith, he's joking, Scott would be thrilled to do this for the company!
And so, it changed my whole life, taking a little bit of initiative, taking a chance, doing a little extra work after hours changed my professional trajectory and it changed my life quite frankly for the better. It's something that I really enjoy, doing strategy. My mom always used to say, why do you analyze everything? And, you know, now I know it's a little bit like that Mark Twain saying where he says, the two most important days in your life are the day you're born, and the day you know why”. At CHS, I found my why.
TAMMY:
I love it! So, I want to peel that all the way back to almost your first sentence and summarize it in, YOU RAISED YOUR HAND. You raised your hand and said I think I have something to fix that, where so many people just stay behind the scenes and say management doesn't know what they're doing or someone doesn't know, but they don't raise their hand. And then, you on top of that, you said it takes some work, then you have to do the extra work, but look at the return that you received. I love that.
SCOTT:
Yeah, it has really changed everything. It changed how I viewed myself. I would like to believe that it helped my company. I mean, when I left several years ago, they were still using the process and the plan it had been tweaked over time. But it was very helpful. And at the end of the day, I think by bringing value to a company, that's when you get recognition, that's when you get noticed because, having a company is hard, it's a very competitive world, so any individual that says I'm here to help, I think and raises their hand, they will get notice and opportunities will come their way.
TAMMY:
Yep. I love it. Hey, what do you think the top leadership challenges are today, both professionally and organizationally? And then just let me layer that with and how are you facing those challenges?
SCOTT:
I will share one that is very pertinent, at least in our industry, healthcare, is the labor shortage. I mean, it is unbelievable, the labor shortage, both on the staffing side and the provider side and then quite frankly, there's a big generational difference in how, maybe some of the younger generation approaches work as opposed to the older generation.
When COVID happened, a lot of people retired a little bit early. It was scary times like I'm getting out of this, and you take that early departure of seasoned workers with the fact that we have a younger generation, that they want work-life balance, they want meaningful work. They have a different set of drivers for themselves, which are just as valid as the drivers of other generations.
And our challenge is to say, how do we create a situation that benefits all parties involved? And so here I'll talk about what we're doing at Saint Luke's, I'll leave out some of the specifics. But we're really intently focused and saying, how do we build a winning culture, a workplace that attracts those maybe who have bowed out and say, hey, I would like to work there and get back into that workforce and those that are entering the workforce, perhaps it's their first job from nursing school or as a physician. And we're really, doing a lot of research and a lot of interviews and developing creative and we like to think somewhat unique ways so that we can appeal to everyone. We want anybody that works at Saint Luke's to feel, hey, I'm connected and there's purpose here. There's no generational gap, because what we've come to realize, is that at the end of the day, people are people, right? We're all very similar, whether you're 24 or 44. And you know, our challenge is to find that secret sauce that's going to connect us all. And then we got to kind of start around to blend all the ingredients together so that people when they come here, they know they belong, and we cultivate the enthusiasm with them. And you know, we make our employees along with our patients, fans of Saint Luke's that at the end of the day, it doesn't become just about the dollar and you know, your take home pay, it's about the environment you work in, its about the difference you make and it's about the wonderful impact you can have on patients.
So that's kind of what we're looking at here at Saint Luke's. We're trying to be a bit different and do things in a fashion that may not be the norm, but so far it's working.
TAMMY:
That's awesome. Yeah, you have to be careful for the competitors who are listening. You don't want them to steal your secret sauce.
SCOTT:
I keep my cards close to my vest.
TAMMY:
Good job. Well, hey, speaking of that, what do you think the warning signs are when an organization is getting really close to running off the tracks?
SCOTT:
Yeah, that's a good question. The first and obvious answer is the financial statement. If you're in the red, you're off track. That's your customers telling you there's a problem.
A second one I would say is more from a leadership perspective. If there's back-biting, kingdom-building and all that within your leadership team, that's a problem because once your leaders forget that it isn't about them, it's about the organization and those they serve, you're headed for trouble.
And then the last thing I would say on that just to be kind of succinct is that when leaders no longer listen, a financial train crash isn't that far in the future because listening is vital for all leaders. Many young leaders, especially those if it's their first role, think the more they talk, the more leadership they're exhibiting and displaying. But true leadership, in my opinion, is the ability to listen to those that you work with and to understand them, and then help resolve issues and give them the opportunity for prosperity and success.
TAMMY:
That's good. And listen for our listeners that applies to seasoned or backing up to brand spanking new or aspiring leaders listening. I almost think that that could go to number one and that might help you avoid that financial crunch. But you're right, that's so good.
We've worked together on strategic growth. I mean, that was the number one reason, yeah big time. You were writing the strategic plans, while we were trying to help you execute them in the field…but now what are your secrets and successful strategies around both today, now that you've left that large organization. I mean, I think I know the answer, but how do you deliver strategic growth and measurable results consistently?
SCOTT:
Well, the good thing is the more I have been in the healthcare strategy role and the more I've read and studied strategy really isn't that complicated, right? It's a plan on paper to get from point A where you are today to point B where you want to go. It's a road map and what we have found or I have found in, in the role is to really have a successful strategy, you have to have a goal or goals that move the spirit that can ignite passion. Mundane, unexciting goals that lack luster, don't drive anything.
For Saint Luke's, we've created a vision statement which really is tied to our strategy. We are a small healthcare system. We're incredibly good today. Our vision is hey, we want to be integrated, nationally recognized, award winning, which if you translate that says, hey, we want to be one of the best health care systems in the US.
So first thing is you got to have a goal that motivates and we think we've achieved that. It's focused on our patients, with people who get into healthcare, that's why they get into it. But Tammy, you and I know a vision isn't results, it's the lighthouse saying, hey, this is where you need to go. So to get there, you have to have those tactics, those incremental steps that move you along the right path and they must be measurable. You have to know are you making progress or are you not? Because if you don't measure it, it's not going to move. That's just the reality of the situation. And not only do you measure it, you have to monitor it, you have to say, ok, are we succeeding? Are we kind of walking down this path? Are we following the right road map or do we get a little bit off course, and we need to correct that, which is normal, that's natural. Sometimes people stick to the plan even when the plan isn't working and that is not a good strategy.
Any kind of plan takes a lot of diligent, kind of systematic effort, even in an organization that's fully committed to it and where everyone's bought in it, it's a hard process. It's not complicated, but it can be hard and, you know, kind of the way I view the tactics, they're the things that you do, kind of like a sculptor trying to find, find the statue in the stone. You’re kind of chipping away until you get to your eventual goal, which is the statue, right? And once you carve that out, it's a real work of art. It's something you're proud of. It's a masterpiece. It's something worthy of accolade and it's a source of great pride. But there's a lot of work to get that statue ready for prime time. And that's what we're doing right now here at Saint Luke's. We know where we want to go, we know what our goals are and we have 275 or so tactics just this year that are kind of chipping away at that stone so we can get to that statue. It's really exciting and it's enjoyable and the team here has been fantastic to work with.
TAMMY:
That's awesome. We always say, strategy is the compass and execution is the horse power…without strategy, execution is aimless and without execution, strategy is useless. At the end of the day, a strategy, you're right is a plan on paper, somebody has to execute it. And you know, that's why we always say our liaisons help execute the strategy that the masterminds build at the organization and then with the compass and the horsepower, there you go, you cross the finish line.
Well, let me ask you a few other questions before we wrap up. What are some of the traits that you've seen in a great leader and that you now model yourself?
SCOTT:
I've been in healthcare now 30 years and worked with some terrific leaders over that time and learned a great deal from them. And you know, the best ones, the ones that I really say, OK, I'm going to pattern myself after them, had those kinds of time-honored traits that all great leaders have and you know them and I know them: integrity, passion, impeccable character, they're authentic, they are poised to pressure. And one thing too that sometimes gets overlooked, they've all had a great sense of humor. You know, work can be hard, it can be challenging and when a great leader brings his or her sense of humor to a situation and kind of can, you know, diffuse it and it give everybody a laugh. It's serious work, but it should be enjoyable work. That's a real skill and talent that can be somewhat rare and I have found that the leaders that have that sense of humor also have incredibly strong relationship skills and they're able to win the trust and the respect of those that work under them. And that is a great talent.
And then I would say lastly, the thing that I have noticed from great leaders that I've worked with is number one, they're fantastic encourager and they're great coaches. They push you to be better than you think you can be and they do that, not because of who you are today, but who you can be tomorrow. And I think that is a trait that all great leaders do. They take a team and because they're the leader of that team, that team is better across the board, and while these traits sound, you know, oh, well, yeah, integrity who wouldn't have that or sense of humor, I personally have found that the traits are very rare and they're incredibly valuable. I mean to me they're pure gold in the leader.
TAMMY:
Yeah, I loved all of those. I love sense of humor. That is, I mean, who doesn't want to be around somebody who's fun and who can be light-hearted and some of our pretty serious situations that was good.
SCOTT:
when I was interviewing here, my boss, Andy Bagnal, great CEO, wonderful guy, and super passionate. One of the things he said in my interview, we had a good chuckle or two and he said, Scott, we're going to work hard, we're going to do great things, but we're going to have fun doing it. And at the time I had another opportunity I was considering and I thought nope, they're gone. This is who I want to work with!
TAMMY:
Absolutely. Hey, what do you wish? Is there or is there anything that you wish someone would have told you early in your career journey?
SCOTT:
Oh, Don't sell yourself short. I think it's easy to look around and think that someone else is smarter, more hard-working, more talented. That's poison to your mind. Any kind of comparison thinking like that just breathes insecurity, it cultivates jealousy, avoid that. Everybody has struggles, everybody has strife, even those who you look at them from a distance and they look flawless. You know, this person has no issues. They're great. They're incredible leader in person. Everybody struggles and what I have advised those who I've worked with is to say, focus on yourself, that’s a healthy competition. Be a little better today than you were yesterday, and then if you keep doing that over time, you will truly improve yourself both as a leader and as a person…and really, that's the only thing that you can control.
I've encountered a lot of people have the imposter syndrome, where they're really successful and they feel man if anybody knew how incompetent I really am, they would say, oh my gosh! You can't let that sort of poisonous thinking into your mind because it's lies that you tell yourself, you can't believe them. You have to find somebody that you can talk to that will encourage you that will build you up.
Even as a leader, as a leader, you have to have a peer who will say, hey Tammy, you are awesome. You bring it every day. You are doing wonderful things for our company. And that way, you learn to accept yourself and say it's ok to believe in myself. It's ok to have self-confidence. You know, it’s almost like a biblical trait where, you know, love others, like you love yourself, right? And, to love somebody else, you got to really love yourself first and there's nothing bad or wrong with that. That's what makes a human being happy and successful in my opinion.
TAMMY:
Yep. Agree. I love, that was a tweetable moment, “focus on yourself, that's healthy enough competition”. That was good. So I know that personally, you are a man of very strong faith. How does your faith impact your leadership style?
SCOTT:
Well, I will say this, that faith is deeply personal. It's something that shapes every individual and his or her values. It shapes their character. It shapes their perspective on life and I am no different.
I was very fortunate in that I was raised in a household with a strong faith. It's at the core of who I am. It shaped my decisions throughout my life. It shaped my actions throughout my life. To me, my faith has become my North Star. It keeps my moral compass firmly set to true North. You know, any time you're in a leadership role, temptations come, right? Well, it's a little bit of a gray area where it's questionable. And, you know, any time I encounter those situations, I feel fortunate that I have my faith because I realize, you know, there is a higher power that I'm accountable to, for my actions, even if I do them in secret, right? And so to me how I work, my belief system, I think has impacted my leadership style in a very positive way. It ensures, number one that I always do my best is. It’s like the story of the talents in the Bible, you know, you got to use your talents well, and then I always try to do the right thing, and then I always try to do the right thing by the people that I am responsible for and work with. And now that is not a easy thing to do. You know, everybody makes mistakes. Like you said, you kind of have that little guy on your shoulder whispering things in your ear. But to me that's why I pray every day for God's good guidance because I think the way I am wired and the way I work in my faith, if I don't have that constant connection to God, it would be easy to get off course. So I'm really grateful for my faith. I hope that it's made me a good leader that people can trust that they know I value them that I see them as a person. I see them as somebody worthy of being invested in and worthy of support from me. So yeah, I think my faith is central to who I am.
SCOTT:
You know, that's one thing, to anybody who is a person of faith, I would encourage them to be bold, but humble - if those two go together, that it is ok to have a strong faith in the workplace. You know, you can't say, well, I'll keep my work and my faith separate, they should be united in one individual. You should be the same person at work as you are, you know, in your place of worship.
TAMMY:
Yeah, I always say you don't have to talk about it all the time. Just live the way that people are like, I don't know what it is about him, but I like it and I like being around him. They can find out later that it's because you're a strong person of faith. But you don't have to be weird and you can be super cool and fun and humble and all the things you talked about in describing a great leader.
well, Scott, I'm so bummed when our time starts coming to an end, but I'm so glad that our listeners got to know you better, but before we wrap up, I like to do what we call the fast five wrap-up around where I rapid fire questions at you. Are you up for a few?
SCOTT:
I am up for it. I'm ready.
TAMMY:
All right let’s go. What's your favorite leadership or fun quote?
SCOTT:
My dad always said, whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right. And you know, to me he was teaching me to be the boss of my brain, which all leaders must be.
TAMMY:
Love it. What's your biggest leadership – ready – ready for it… Pet Peeve?
SCOTT:
Good question. I would say disingenuousness because the people that you lead should be able to trust you. People aren’t pawns.
TAMMY:
Good, there's another tweetable moment. OK, when looking for a new team member, so you personally, what is the one thing, the one quality or leader should make it a number one quality to look for.
SCOTT:
I look for someone that has that passionate purpose. You know, the elusive fire in the belly. Somebody that says I'm going to make an impact and I'm all in on making it happen.
TAMMY:
Fire in belly, I love that. What was your proudest moment in the past year?
SCOTT:
I would say working with my CEO and the leadership team here to create our strategic plan “One St. Luke's” and also, we took our mission statement and our vision statement and kind of refashioned those to make them more easy to remember. And then we've really spread all of that throughout the organization. I mean, it's throughout all of St. Luke's, it's on every monitor, it's everywhere. Our staff now knows our strategic plan, they know our mission and they know our vision.
TAMMY:
Well, I happen to live in the market. And I will tell you, you guys have done an excellent job with One Saint Luke's. I mean, who can't remember that? That's awesome!
All right, last question is based on your years of experience. I think you said 30 years in healthcare, what is one word or one piece of advice you would give to your younger self.
SCOTT:
Fortune favors the bold.
TAMMY:
Ok, you're going to have to simplify that for me.
SCOTT:
All right. So basically a different way you could say that is: Be bold, be brave and you'll be happy.
TAMMY:
Oh that's good. Love it, love it.
Well, Scott Johnson, thank you again for being my guest on the Leadership lens podcast and I hope you'll come back again really soon.
SCOTT:
Tammy, thank you for the opportunity. I've enjoyed it. Thank you for your friendship and you know, let's stay in touch and keep making good things happen in health care.
TAMMY:
Yeah, let's do!
CLOSING:
Tiller-Hewitt works with leaders who want to consistently deliver strategic growth and measurable results. The organization is recognized as the leading experts in strategic growth, network integrity, and physician engagement. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Leadership Lens. For more leadership resources and strategic growth solutions, visit tillerhewitt.com.