The woman leader, I respect
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with a gracious woman of elegance and wit. A powerful, and smart, with a heart of gold. Before meeting her, I asked the people around her about what made their award receiving organization* successful as it is. I inquired about the thing they do differently that sets them apart from the competition. I received the same answer from different staff at different locations: we treat our patients (clients) as we would like our family members to be treated.
So, you have it! Their secret for success is they operate under the philosophy of the Golden Rule, “do to others what you want them to do to you.” And it works for them, and it serves them very well.
But, what sets apart this organization from others is the leadership style of this gracious leader. In meeting with her, my honest opinion and experience were presented personally to her, something in particular got my attention, and that was the way she talked about her organization’s competition. In a confident and honest voice, she praised her competition’s good work and its contribution to the community. A quality, few leaders understand its implications on the overall operation of their own organizations.
Lesson learned: Do not compete, collaborate. Lead with full compassion. A compassionate leader cares about her people, while a full compassionate leader cares about her people and her competition. And this leader exhibited that notion, and that is why she is leading and will continue leading her organization to a great success.
The name of the leader is Mrs. Beth Zachary, the CEO of Adventist Health Glendale (Southern California Region – SCR). The SCR includes six hospitals:
Adventist Health Glendale*, Adventist Health White Memorial, Adventist Health Bakersfield, Adventist Health Simi Valley and approximately 28 medical clinics, three home care agencies, and one hospice agency. She chairs the boards of these hospitals as well.