Celebrating International Women’s Day: Part Two

To recap where we left off in part one, March 8, 2020 is International Women’s Day. To celebrate, SCP Health (SCP) is profiling seven female leaders who have made an impact on our company and our culture. In part one, we found out why these women love their work, what their paths were to their current roles, and how being a woman has shaped their career experiences.

Read on for part two of the interview—and Happy International Women’s Day!

WORDS TO LIVE BY: What has helped you succeed, and what advice would you give to others?

Dr. Rachel George

Integrity. Do what you say and say what you do. Stand behind your words and stand behind your team. For both yourself and your team, reinforce this: when you don’t know what to do, do the right thing. That’s all you can do. After that, we’ll figure out the impact and handle each difficult situation together.

Lisa Fry

First, no matter where you are in your career, consider mentorship and partnership. If you are early on, look for someone who you can trust and rely on to mentor you. If you are later in your career, look for opportunities to show someone else the ropes. And all throughout, be willing to partner with those around you to further your knowledge and success.

My second thought is in reference to what I said earlier about making firm choices, staying present, and doing your best in each facet of life. It’s something my mother used to say to me: “Sometimes, no is a complete answer.” While there is a lot you’ll want or need to say yes to, sometimes you will want or need to turn something down. In those times, you don’t have to explain yourself away. Say no and be confident in what you’ve chosen.

Lastly, in leadership I’ve found success in this view: my job as a leader is to set a goal, clearly communicate it, and get out of your way to let you navigate how to get to that goal. I give guidance on the what. The how is you. I get barriers out of your way (broken processes, stalled decisions). My role is to plow the road so that the team can excel.

Dr. Noah Hoskins

I have a few words or ideas that have helped guide me.

I spent some time feeling unsure or underqualified for positions I was offered, but I realized that you don’t need to be 100% prepared. If you’re asked to step into a space and it’s an opportunity that you want, try it! Say yes. Be willing to ask for the right resources, and then do your best. As you go on throughout your career, you’ll realize everyone else is kind of doing that too—’learning on the job.’ So, I just take the information I have, apply it the best I can, and learn from every situation.

As I grew into leadership positions, I also realized that leadership specifically is not taught very well during physician training. The majority of the time, when it is included, it still has a “top-down” perspective—and I think that is part of healthcare’s Achilles heel. In both clinical and operational areas, collaboration is key. Positive outcomes are often missed because we don’t have a leadership practice in place that empowers all clinicians and shows them how to excel as a team. Leaders need to be experts in each team member’s strengths and work with them toward success. We offer them the right opportunities, encourage them to “say yes”, then get out of the way and let them grow.

Finally, being successful at all levels—but particularly in leadership—is about bridging gaps. Every department, specialty, and field of expertise has its own language. In healthcare terms, we must learn the HCAHPS of each different group that we work with and figure out what is meaningful to them—then use that to partner with them more effectively.

Sarah Crass

My number one phrase to live by is: have your running shoes on. Be all in, bring your A game, and give what you have when you’re at work.

Some other ideas that I talk to my team about frequently are:

If you’re new to the workforce, new to an industry, or new to a company, it’s important to find somebody you can learn from and bounce ideas off of. Depending on your career phase and company, this can be anything from a formal mentor to simply a wise, trustworthy colleague.
Come into each day knowing your bar for success. Fill in the blank of this sentence: ‘If I get nothing else done today but ____, I will have had a successful day.’ Then, make sure you stick to that. If it’s something you dread, do it first. If it’s something that takes dedicated time to be thoughtful and strategic, make sure you proactively carve that time out.
Focus on internal customer service in the same way that you do external. When you’re getting questions and requests in from various angles, get a feel for the big picture, learn how to triage, and most importantly: communicate. Nobody expects you to get everything done in a day—but you have to give timelines, set expectations, and not ignore things. If no deadline is set, don’t assume that there is no deadline. Ask “when do you need it by” and maybe follow up with “And why is that?” Be open and be respectful of your colleagues, just like you would if they were external clients.

Dr. Beverly Gladney

Do what you love. Find something you would do for nothing. Pick your passion and enjoy the ride. Try to make a difference in what you care about. Keep going, growing, and stretching. Remember that doing what you love isn’t about easy, it’s about worth it.

Vicky Romero

Be present in whatever you’re doing and set boundaries for yourself to preserve your well-being and stay true to your priorities.

As a leader of technology professionals, I’ve learned that most of them are like me in that they want to know why they are doing the work that they are doing—they want to be connected and be part of the solution. This means giving them opportunities, coaching them to come to their own answer, and empowering them to use the body of knowledge that they have to find better solutions or see new areas for change. This also means working hard to position them as a partner and expert for other teams to work with. Every group has a perspective to offer on issues or projects, and we are most effective in finding success when we connect, hear each other, and work together toward a common goal.

Rena Cottam

I do have a few thoughts that guide me—first of which is to be okay with not always being perfect. As women, we easily fall into the habit of saying “YES!” to everything because we think that if jump at any opportunity that we’re given and do a really good job that we will feel fulfilled—but that isn’t really helpful for us or the people we are saying yes to. Be honest where you’re at in your journey—sometimes you’ll have the capacity for more and sometimes you’ll have to step back. I love social events, so I make time for that in my life—it’s okay to have fun! I have an autistic son, and there were certain seasons with him that I couldn’t have taken on more at work—it’s okay to pick your family first. I had been very active on a nonprofit board, but when I was promoted to CFO, I had to step back—it’s okay to take the space you need. Evaluate where you are month to month, phase to phase, etc—priorities will change and you will change—that’s just life!

Second, as an ambitious person working to move up, I always tried to perform the role that I wanted—to work as though I was at the next level. Observe what others in higher positions are doing—both positive and negative—and use that to inform who you want to be. Form good relationships in each role, and be collaborative. Then, when the time comes when they need someone to take a step up, you’ve proven that you’re ready for both the tasks and the responsibility.

Lastly, if you’re stepping into leadership—especially executive leadership—and you have had many predecessors, be bold in resetting expectations and paving your own path. Learn from both the success and mistakes of the past—and be willing to do things differently even if its awkward at first.