Leadership, Strategy, and Excellence in Healthcare: A Conversation with Dr. David Zaas

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Alright, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Ken Siegel and the CEO of value capture, and which means I get to support an incredible team that gets to support great healthcare leaders like Dr. David Zoss, who's with us today for the second time on individual excellence.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): you know the subject today is strategy deployment that really works for people that really works to differentiate differentiate organizations.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and builds on the capabilities that they have, and might offer something of a contrast to what we see happening, and a lot of healthcare right now. And II really can't think of anyone better than Dave to be with us, to talk about the topic.

 

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David is a pulmonary and critical care. Academic physician. Who has been in top leadership roles at major health systems for at least 20 years. At this point, despite being a remarkably young man.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and he will tell you a little bit more about himself. Among his leadership roles he currently is 2 months into being the president of wait for us. Baptist a major part of the larger advocate health system, which is a very dynamic place, and I expect we'll hear more about that from Dave and before that he

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): led the Charleston Division at M. Usc. And South Carolina, and was top clinical officer for the whole institution with academic responsibilities as well, and before that he led Duke Raleigh Hospital, and with significant role in medical school as well at the Duke health system, which is where we got to know each other.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And Dave is a special leader

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and as we turn to Dave, and I'm gonna ask you to say a few words about yourself.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): You know, it's a challenging time in American healthcare for a lot of leaders and for a lot of people working on the front lines in our health systems. You know, we've got major cost pressures. And in response there is an awful lot of cutting and consolidation going on.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and a lot of the strategy doesn't seem terribly differentiating. And and you know, there's a lot of fear, a worry about job losses and things like that, and a worry about preserving culture.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And one of the things that we have always loved and admired about you is the sort of optimism that you lead with. and your willingness to sort of lead from the front.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and in a very authentic way that digs in deep with your people, your community and your patients.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And so let me just turn to you and ask you to share a little bit more about yourself. Anything you'd like to share. But also highlight.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): you know, before we get into strategy a little bit about your leadership philosophy? What is it you know? How do you? You know every leader has a framework.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): you know. What do you bring into an organization? And you know, and and maybe a little bit about where it comes from.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Yeah. So let me turn it to you, Dave, tell us a little bit more about yourself and how you lead.

 

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davidzaas: Thank you. Ken. I really appreciate the invite and also appreciate the learnings from you and the value capture team and your friendship. Now for probably almost a decade of getting to work together.

 

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davidzaas: I truly think I'm privileged to have the best job in the country. If not the world. And I truly wake up to your point with that sense of

 

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davidzaas: optimism. It does go back to right, my foundation as a physician, scientist and valuing the unique place that we are in academic medicine to write, really make that huge

 

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davidzaas: impact

 

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davidzaas: and and shortened 25 years of a career of, you know, 3 or 4 different careers from a position scientist that I think, taught me how to think and write and solve

 

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and base Italian flab's

 

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davidzaas: to a physician leader in clinical departments.

 

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and really the ability to witness and be part of that passion

 

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davidzaas: of clinical discovery and education of learners. From the experience in leading health systems, from private to public of different sizes. And I tell people in many ways right. It's been a journey of a career that I could have never predicted

 

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davidzaas: in many ways sometimes thought I wasn't qualified for

 

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davidzaas: but the ability to lead right an amazing team of caregivers that are passionate.

 

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davidzaas: that are talented, that are committed to

 

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davidzaas: the unique privilege in healthcare right to make impact on the lives of others. So, despite the challenges in the world around us which are too many to count right? We, I think, if we step back and say, those of us in healthcare today are so fortunate, even over the last few years, throughout the the pandemic right. The chance to lead

 

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davidzaas: during that time, and challenges of our country is something that we could have never imagined.

 

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davidzaas: but will probably be something that we will look back on right and say with some of our greatest

 

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davidzaas: moments, and have the impact. So I couldn't be happy to be here at atrium health, Wakeforce Baptist, and a part of this

 

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davidzaas: amazing advocate health team and really appreciate the time.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): So II just love your response. And I think the audience is already again picking up that powerful optimism. And there's a lot I. So I wanna just follow up. So.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): You know, really relevant to the question of strategy and strategy, deployment and habitual excellence. Overall. you know. First of all, you're reframing to

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): sort of privilege and abundance, if you will, of the opportunity and what it means to to be able to serve and lead in in in that sort of near holy depending on your perspective world of healthcare. So that opens up all kinds of possibilities.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And then, you know, you talked about your early work in your training as an academic physician and sort of I heard a couple of things in there. First of all, again, that aspiration, the the potential these breakthroughs in health for people.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And then this method of continuous learning and problem solving

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and then bringing that into leadership in a systematic way. And you know I there's there aren't a lot of people who put that together early in their careers and then bring it forward into leadership. So am I, picking up those themes correctly, those 2 things coming together?

 

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davidzaas: No, I no, I think it is. Really. We're all shaped by some of those experience. We're shaped by great mentors, and and opportunities to grow. And

 

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davidzaas: I'm not joking when I say I think I have the best job in the world. How atrium wake forest Baptist as an academic health system, right? Is the academic core or a learning health sciences system right? That crosses the country

 

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davidzaas: and impacts lives right? Hopefully, right? They've is the ideal opportunity to say, how do you take that experience from doing cell culture experiments at the bench and learning how to test hypothesis

 

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davidzaas: and learning how to lead change. But now do that at a scale right that none of us could have ever imagined, especially for an academic health system. So that's what

 

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davidzaas: every step of my career as as been exciting and a new challenge in in many, many ways. But it really does. All come down to right? How do we, as leaders

 

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davidzaas: empower our people? Right? How do we right through relationships, through team building really unleash

 

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davidzaas: the power that exists within our organization. And you started in the Intro, right? There's a lot of headwings that we're facing which even makes, I think that

 

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davidzaas: leadership and strategy so much more important to keep us connected to mission. And why?

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Yeah. So let's so let's go there. So you know. Let's turn to strategy. And as I mentioned.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): you know, there are sort of 2 things we think we see, and I sort of want your comments, maybe one and then the other. You know, one is, we see a lot of obviously there's a lot of focus on, you know. We need a bold strategy.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): But most of them, as I said, are more traditional. What we see consolidation, and, you know, even even a lot of cost cutting

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and not particularly inspiring, not sort of differentiating from other competitors, necessarily, and not necessarily in inspiring to the people in the organization toward making the kind of breakthroughs you talked about for patients.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): You know, for the communities we serve and for themselves. As you know, you know, people who want to have that same attachment to purpose and sort of doing world leading work. You know that you've already captured so well. So are we right to see some limits in a lot of that environment. And maybe turning to yourself

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): as you as a leader, are coming in new to an organization, on on creating a powerful strategy, how are you approaching?

 

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davidzaas: So I break it into 3 components, Ken and I do it in order, because I think they are sort of foundational that you build on I think the first part of strategy is really our people strategy.

 

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davidzaas: and we don't talk about it enough as a strategy. But it's really really

 

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davidzaas: important right? Even more so after the the pandemic that we create an environment right that people feel valued, that represents our focus around diversity and inclusion

 

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davidzaas: that people feel respected, not just by their leaders, but by their peers.

 

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davidzaas: that they have the resources to do their job. Which sounds simple but right, we fail with that sometimes.

 

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davidzaas: And that people have the ability to constantly improve right and innovate in their job. And so I, our our primary focus of our strategy. And it may sound really simple, but I think

 

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davidzaas: it will be our secret sauce. Which is, we need to have

 

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davidzaas: that best place to care, that ability. Everyone has the ability to thrive and right and people not just. We want people. They really need to have the ability to to thrive. And how do you do that?

 

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davidzaas: And I think that's the role of leadership, right? We need to create that culture.

 

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davidzaas: and I would challenge all of our leaders that are out there that are listening right that has to be the foundation. If we don't do that, everything else will fail.

 

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davidzaas: The second sort of tier of strategy is. I think, we need to build our management systems right? We need to build our processes

 

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davidzaas: and healthcare at a lot of organizations. Right? We have a long way to go to really mature, especially as we grow as larger hospitals, larger systems

 

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davidzaas: to really build the processes that are so critical to be nimble.

 

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davidzaas: that are critical to lead change that are critical, to communicate right up and down help chain. And throughout the organization. So

 

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davidzaas: we focus a lot again, after our people to say, All right, let's build right, the the systems and processes

 

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davidzaas: that are so critical to sustaining success and building teams.

 

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davidzaas: And only after I think you do those 2 right. Do you really focus on the strategy that I think people tend to jump right to which is those bold goals. And we gotta have a true North. And we need to have those really bold goals. And that impact we want to have. And

 

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davidzaas: our community and and we've focused a lot right on the past, ran, you know, we're eliminating harm right where that 0 harm commitment that we've all made and that focus on perfect patient care. And I'm talking a lot these days that you know, we need to focus on excellence.

 

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davidzaas: Why, we that's our our brand. That's what our community expects. That's what our team members expect. And in my mind that excellence encompasses

 

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davidzaas: all of that right it it is eliminating all harm to our care. Team members. It it's striving for, you know, top desile performance and 0 harm for our patients.

 

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davidzaas: It's that academic discovery and that innovation and and research.

 

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davidzaas: but I talk a lot to our team. So we we can't forget about those first 2 steps, because if we don't have the the foundation, the culture, the people. If we don't have the systems in place

 

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davidzaas: we'll never be able to sustain anything we achieve as we sort of set bold

 

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davidzaas: goals. And that's why I say that I have the best job right? And then what do I need to do? I need to ensure that we recruit and retain the best leaders that they feel empowered to write, help, define? How do you execute?

 

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davidzaas: look like and that's where I think we're in a really special place. Amongst all of our teams.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Wow!

 

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Again, Dave, so so much so much to follow up on. And again, I think the audience is hearing you put the pieces together foundationally, and use that word.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and you know a couple of things that struck me as you said it. And then I'm gonna follow up. You know, one is

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): you started with people and supporting them fundamentally through systems building which we're gonna talk about in a second.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and you know, you said we don't do it every very well. And there's an argument that we all be in a lot better place for many organizations. If we'd done a better job at that systematically before, right, because we wouldn't have had some of the depth of gaps and staffing to be able to meet patient need, etc., and and we'd be in a better place, and I think we demonstrated a lot of that leadership through the pandemic and some of the beneficial effects. So I think you know, we can all sort of hear that.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): The other thing is you started, you know, to you know we're right. We're supposed to be talking about fancy strategy. And here you are talking about developing the systems, to support people in the organization, to be truly agile. And so you've raised the word agile and supporting people to be agile. And what role does agility play for you in thinking about, you know.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): driving the the right strategy on these foundations and then being able to implement it effectively. Talk a little bit about the intersection of those ideas. That. You've sort of started.

 

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davidzaas: you know, when we look back at the the pandemic right. Many of us will say, we demonstrated an agility

 

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davidzaas: to pivot to learn to change.

 

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davidzaas: because we have a force to we're very intentional. Now to say, we need to retain that

 

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davidzaas: we need to keep that focus, but it probably needs to to change a little bit

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): in the pandemic. We did that in a very top down way we had to

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Umhm.

 

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davidzaas: I think what we need to develop in the future right is that agility and nimbleness

 

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davidzaas: but move decision rights back where they belong in the organization. Go back to our philosophies you and I have talked about when I first met you, which is right, how we're developing our leaders as coaches.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): How do we developing our team members as the problem solvers

 

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davidzaas: how we're helping to harness

 

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davidzaas: those innovations right daily? By creating a culture where people are sharing ideas and understanding how to test those hypotheses.

 

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davidzaas: not just at the C-suite right, but across the organization. And that's where our systems and processes get so important. Because as we create that culture

 

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davidzaas: as we accelerate the learning and we become nimble, right then we need to have our all of our systems to share and spread and that's why we focus a lot. And we have still the long way to go, as I think most organizations do, to really

 

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davidzaas: ramping up those systems. But if we go back to the philosophy and and against the stereotype, right? Especially academic medicine we have the stereotype that we're not in.

 

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davidzaas: I'll challenge that. We can be more nimble.

 

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davidzaas: that any health system. And we really should start benchmarking ourselves to other industries of what it means to be

 

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davidzaas: nimble and to learn and that's what I think leadership plays a role. How do we at different levels of leadership. If I message that

 

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davidzaas: that willingness to experiment acceptance of learning and really expect my leaders and others to help cascade it and create the culture.

 

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davidzaas: I think we'll reinforce that culture of right? Well, this is an environment where I can thrive.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): environment where I feel value, where I'm heard.

 

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davidzaas: So we're in that journey. But I think we're even in only a few months. Just have an amazing team that is embracing a lot of that. A lot of these concepts, especially the focus on caring for each other.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Wonderful! Wonderful! I'm going to ask you in in a second, for maybe an example or 2 of how you try to model that as the leader

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): in your current role or in a previous one but before I get there a different question. you you talked about nimbleness and rapid learning.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): It seems to me that's especially important to successful strategy, formulation, and deployment

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): in a rapidly changing world.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Does that resonate with you as a as a CEO?

 

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davidzaas: No, I think it's really essential right? We live in a really complex world

 

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davidzaas: outside of off care. Right now, right? We mentioned it in the beginning and we could all get caught up in the external environment we live. But I really do believe that right? How we navigate the complexity

 

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davidzaas: is that clarity of vision is that commitment to purpose an impact

 

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davidzaas: and really ensuring that our teams

 

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davidzaas: understand that and and feel that and the risk we have is right that if we're not clear about that vision and impact in the community and our values. Right? As things are being challenged.

 

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davidzaas: there's threats to diversity.

 

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davidzaas: We need to continue to to to focus on the values of our organization personally and individually.

 

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davidzaas: and that, I think, is going to be really critical to our teams. If our teams don't feel that we have that. But purpose. Yeah. And how do you stay engaged? How do you stay committed?

 

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davidzaas: We can look at the financial challenges. Right? We don't. I try not to talk to our teams broadly. A lot about the finances. That's a lagging measure.

 

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davidzaas: right? We have to focus on the process measures and the leading measures. If we deliver the highest quality, the best safety, the best experience.

 

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davidzaas: the most amazing academic tertiary programs. Right. We will deliver the financial results. So how do we shift the focus? So our teams understand as leaders? Right? We care about those process measures. We care about those leading measures.

 

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davidzaas: We care about the focus on our patients and families and each other.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And that will help enable us to be the financial stewards, and to navigate pretty turbulent

 

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davidzaas: times in healthcare. I think organizations that are too focused only on lagging measures. Right? Or risk losing that commitment of their teams

 

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davidzaas: that's going to be critical to their long-term success.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Dave could not. could not amend that more strongly. And I you brought this other deep thing, man were added to it of constancy of purpose and anchoring strategy and strategy, execution, and that same constancy of purpose based on fundamental values.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And it really all centers, as I hear you talk on that, and feeling in the heart of everybody, in the organization, about what they're part of, and whether it's being lived every day in these different dimensions of leadership. And I

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): it's a very complex world. But I also hear you making it simpler for everyone to know what to do, because it's sort of locked in on this foundation that everything else derives from. Is that a fair hearing of your sort of thinking about it. It is. And right, it's all relationships. Right? I especially right 2 months into a new organization, right? How do I?

 

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davidzaas: In a large complex organization really focus on that critical success factor is that ability to develop relationships up through right, our university through the advocate team. But down through all of our frontline care team members. And I think

 

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davidzaas: we demonstrate that right then, with our behaviors, with our actions, with our language across all of our care members. I've had the privilege for the last 2 months to spend countless hours

 

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davidzaas: going to all of our different clinics, sites visiting our different hospitals, kicking off orientation, joining our our safety rounds.

 

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davidzaas: Right? Protecting as much time as possible to be out with our teams in the learnings that I have every single time I go visit. Just astound me!

 

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davidzaas: I I'm writing down us.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Give us an example of a learning that you had. You're the top dog, and you're you're going out to the to the front line continuously share a learning.

 

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davidzaas: So you know, there is so many on the operational side. And I'm gonna focus more on the

 

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davidzaas: a little bit on the people. Let's keep the the people from from there.

 

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davidzaas: I had the privilege of my first day of going through orientation. and then a week later, I had a privilege. I'm coming back to lead orientation one weekend

 

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davidzaas: And as I looked and started to talk to the people in the audience. Right?

 

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davidzaas: The passion and commitment and pride that we have in our community is so impactful. And I think we take it for granted. Sometimes right. We work for great organizations.

 

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davidzaas: and these were new hires right that were coming in on day one.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): I was one weekend

 

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davidzaas: But to see

 

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davidzaas: their passion and enthusiasm to be part of this organization

 

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davidzaas: really changed me as a leader, to say, It's my obligation now as a leader, right to ensure

 

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davidzaas: that they have a place cause they are so focused on why they're here and our values. And they're coming in with such optimism.

 

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davidzaas: Right? So we want anything better. And it's our job as leaders to say, All right, don't screw it up right, really help cultivate and grow

 

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davidzaas: that, and I had a chance to meet a few that were coming back to the organization that had been here before. Right when it was a much smaller organization

 

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davidzaas: and heard their their stories. And and all of that right reminded me around the that that pride in that brand. And that image is also based on history.

 

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davidzaas: so I've really gone back and tried to learn a lot right around the history of the organization and history in the community. Because I think those are gonna help drive that connection. And again, if

 

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davidzaas: I think we have an outstanding culture that's been built, and I have the again the good fortune to in inherit and say, Alright, how do I build on it?

 

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davidzaas: And part of that visibility? Right? Is

 

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davidzaas: amazing learnings. And part of it is right that ability to develop relationships. As I head out to one of our hospitals this afternoon to do one of our town halls and talk about right. The importance of being part of this larger family.

 

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davidzaas: By far. My favorite part of what I get to do is to meet our teams.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): II love that example. And again you're getting it anchored back in the whole

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): sort of value, creating part of the enterprise around this fundamental value of respect for every individual. And you're modeling it, and you're modeling it for other leaders to be in continuous learning, in service of

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): those you serve in the organization who serve the the community and your deep respect for culture and everything that's incredible.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And II know, having had the chance to support you. You know you. You alluded to examples and learnings from operations. And so you always model going to the front lines and learning there and making sure that the systems for learning up and down the organization are in place. So

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): we all thank you for your example.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): I do. Wanna stay, though I'm leading from the front and

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): I have my own stories from our chances to work with you. But you told me one just as we were connecting and comparing notes recently. From your time at mosque

 

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really move me. And it was a decision on a major strategic matter where you said I need to personally lead us

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and invest a significant amount of my time, and it was the integration of a very important

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): community asset.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): the Regional Medical Center at Orangeburg, and I just wondered if you share a little bit about that story and your decision as a leader

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): to move fully to the front on that one.

 

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davidzaas: Now I would be. I'll give a short version of the of the story, but before I start I'll focus on right. It goes back to the mission of why

 

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davidzaas: we're in healthcare. Why, right, I'm so passionate about academic medicine, right it is to make that impact on the communities that we serve as well as right the broader world, and and certain things right? That's so clearly aligned with that mission and vision.

 

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davidzaas: Right? I think we need to focus on how we make it happen. And too often, sometimes we get stuck in reasons why not to do things or reasons to be risk averse but there's certain times in our lives, right where we have an ability to impact communities

 

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davidzaas: that are things right that we need to to do in my heart. Just believe that we need to do so. We had the I'll say it's a privilege to really step in

 

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davidzaas: to Orangeburg, South Carolina, and an amazingly proud community that's gone through really challenging times over the last several decades

 

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davidzaas: and a hospital and health system with dedicated care team members, but was failing

 

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davidzaas: where more than half of that residents of those counties left that county for care due to lack of trust

 

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davidzaas: and faith in the system.

 

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davidzaas: And that was sitting at a precipice where they were unable to make payroll bills due to their financial challenges

 

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davidzaas: and credit to our board and leadership the Medical University of South Carolina. That right? That community needed not only healthcare. But I would argue it needed the highest quality healthcare focused on innovation and research

 

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davidzaas: to care for that community to restore faith.

 

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davidzaas: including even driving the economic development and really ensuring that our principles around the best care is local

 

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davidzaas: and to make progress towards that goal, we all want to eliminate health disparities. Right, we should have that bold goal, and how we could make our our progress towards it

 

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davidzaas: a credit to my amazing team. Broadly. We did the fastest integration and acquisition in under 90 days.

 

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davidzaas: We invested countless hours of resources time into an amazing community in the gratitude that we felt

 

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davidzaas: and the resources we can bring. We're now coming up on.

 

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davidzaas: Oh, be a year in March that! That will be part of the M. Usc. Family. And a long way to go. But we've improved quality of care immensely.

 

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davidzaas: We've stabilized that hospital as the foundation of a really proud community.

 

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davidzaas: That, I think will facilitate growth. For generations we valued the people that had put in years of service and not been supported right not been putting in an environment where they were given that opportunity to thrive.

 

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davidzaas: That we've tried to do recruited a unbelievably talented leadership team who shares that commitment to the community and values and we will find a way over the next 2 or 3 years to make it a financially sustainable

 

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davidzaas: model.

 

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davidzaas: we could have found every reason

 

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davidzaas: not to take that risk.

 

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davidzaas: Yeah.

 

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davidzaas: but a credit to our board and organization, right? That that is what we're meant to do. And I've again, as I said in the beginning, I've I've loved every part of my career.

 

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davidzaas: but that'll be one of those sort of things that I don't think I'll ever forget. Our goal in life is to make an impact and help others where we could see it, we could measure it

 

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davidzaas: in a small way, but a large way for for that community that I'm really proud of.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): as you share that, as you said the short version, you know, I think we all hear first of all, despite your humility, the impact that you and your colleagues have made

 

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in a way that ties together a lot of your values. But I think I also hear

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): how you, how much you got

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): from the privilege of being able to lead and take that risk and extend yourself and make a difference in that way.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Which is characteristic of you.

 

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davidzaas: And it was it's another great as we think around our leadership principles and example. Right? I

 

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davidzaas: really pulled out of the large academic medical center a significant portion of my time, and Howard my team so I could focus

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): in that community at this important time of transition and change.

 

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davidzaas: And it benefited every part of our organization. And

 

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davidzaas: II frequently, as we speak around our leadership, development planning and what we do right. Our job as leaders is to really be building.

 

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davidzaas: That's succession planning that talent, development, that processes and others to make ourselves irrelevant to make our our teams

 

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davidzaas: and our processes and systems

 

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davidzaas: right that go well beyond right, our

 

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davidzaas: our tenure

 

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davidzaas: and time. And that was one of those moments that while I was really proud and happy for what we've started in that journey in that community and how we really lived our values. We talk a lot about changing what's possible at M. Us see over the last few years, and II highlight that during the pandemic we did that.

 

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davidzaas: and Orange Court did that

 

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davidzaas: But right during that time. It was a credit to to my team, right? That we all understood and they continued to excel. As I had to shift my focus.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Yeah. yeah. Another important theme that links directly right? Again, people development leadership development leaders coach

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): trusting your people, taking on something that was mission critical, and you knew that would sort of show. The values were true, right at a fundamental level breakthrough. Right? And you know this other thing, you you've highlighted taking financial risk

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): because you could.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And and also, I hope people heard earlier, when you talked about finances, a lagging goal from this sort of focus on executing around the right things, that those sort of things that people at their deepest, most optimistic heart, of what they want to be a part of bring to work every day, and readers creating the systems around it. So it's all there, folks, I hope everyone's hearing it as I am.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Dave, we we wanna let you get back to leading a major academic medical center. So let me give you a chance to close out by sharing, you know, 2 months in

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): to this latest leadership role at a very exciting place. What other wisdom or worries and wisdom and thinking do you have

 

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that.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): you know, you'd like to share with your peers who listen to this? Podcast

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): so that we all can look forward to more fully getting on the train of, you know, achieving healthcare with all that we know is possible. But you know we're not yet fully fulfilling for too many of us. And so we want to close that gap. What? What worries, what wisdom, what thoughts to close this out today.

 

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davidzaas: you know I'll I'll highlight if you wanna one that we haven't touched on so much right? How do we achieve this as leaders? Let's ensure that we focus on the importance of optimism.

 

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davidzaas: Importance of right meeting with that glass

 

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davidzaas: that's 3 quarters full and really managing up. And I think that that is so important in stressful times. And I don't see that we're

 

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davidzaas: not gonna be facing challenges in the future. But I think that's even more important that leadership teams really need to focus on right the amazing privilege it is to do what we do

 

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davidzaas: that focus on impact in our communities. And that sense of optimism. Because I think it's contagious. Right? I love the book, the happiness, advantage and focus right on that optimism and that positive

 

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davidzaas: presence of leaders. And how impact you have on others and for me. Right, it gives me energy, and I always tell people what I wanna things in my day that give me energy than than drain energy. And that's

 

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davidzaas: one that really really

 

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davidzaas: does the other is right, that that focus on our teams and our and our people and challenge us to say.

 

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davidzaas: do we create the environment

 

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davidzaas: that individuals and teams really have the ability to thrive? And what can we do

 

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davidzaas: every day to help create that ecosystem. Because I fundamentally believe

 

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davidzaas: here and across our health systems, right? We have amazing people. And it's our job to really right help ensure. They have that ability

 

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davidzaas: to flourish and create the environment

 

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around it. And then, the third is right. We're

 

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davidzaas: and an amazing time of change. We're right. Delivery systems are changing science.

 

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davidzaas: We're facing AI and precision medicine and

 

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davidzaas: for all of us that are fundamentally scientists. Right? It's time for experimentation and innovation. To really say, we know, we can deliver care

 

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davidzaas: so much higher quality, more efficiently than we do historically. And while we, while we focus on the day to day and all the others.

 

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davidzaas: I really encourage all of us. How do we innovate and transform our delivery systems? And that's why, I'm really excited to be atrium, wake forest and part of advocate health. To say right.

 

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davidzaas: our goal is to be an academic core of a learning health system around the country. and how we drive innovation research at scale and at a pace

 

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davidzaas: that hopefully, nobody can equal. Not just a benefit us, but to benefit everyone around the country and around the world, through

 

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davidzaas: research and innovation and care delivery transformation.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Yeah, well, what a way to end it, Dave, and I love again the themes came through, but the one you really put a put a finger on and brought to the front this time is that

 

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optimism.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And you know, to top tap into that aspiration that we all have.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): and the way that and we all know there's more and more science on this. Our brains work so much better when they're working from optimism. And you alluded to how it feels, what drains energy and what gives energy. And so here, you know, some people talk about strategy in a very dry way, and here you have it anchored in the people and anchored in.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): You know these fundamental emotions that actually make everything possible, and make sort of being the best in the world of what we do every day possible. Which is how our one of our Co. Founders and mentors, Paul and Hill, senior, always used to talk about it. So

 

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again. You've

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): you've you've sort of reminded us what it's all about, and taken us to a deeper level. And I know for me, given me hope, as you always do or more hope because we can and should all be optimistic.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): That we have leaders who are heading us toward what's possible. And we're really appreciative. That. You've again been a, I guess, for us here on habitual excellence.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): And I wanna say to folks who might be tuning in. Obviously you cannot track Dave and his work and wait for us, Baptist. and for those of you interested in thinking more about strategy and these dynamic terms. You can take a look at our website at value capture llc.com. And in fact, you'll find we have. In addition to resources and some writing

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): we have a webinar coming up on November sixteenth at noon with a great Jeff Hunter who wrote patient centered strategy. That brings a lot of these ideas to life called breaking through and pressure times the links deploying strategy with focus, agility and sensitivity. While there's no better example of that than you, Dave, thank you for being with us any closing comments.

 

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davidzaas: No, thank you. Ken, thank you. To all your audience, that's listening to the podcast and appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with you and learn from you in the future.

 

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Ken Segel - Value Capture (he/him/his): Thanks, Dave. We can't wait to see what you're gonna do here as you get rolling at Wake Forest Baptist, with your colleagues.