Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/699873
t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 6 12 12 Q | How would you describe your leadership style? A | I think the first thing most people would say is that I am a visionary, and a very good strategic thinker. I'm a focused individual—that's where the execution comes in. I believe leadership is a team game. Once we make a decision, though, we get very focused on the execution side. The other thing people would probably say is 'intense.' I'm a pretty intense individ- ual. There's a strong drive in me to go get things done and be successful. They also will say that I'm pretty even-keeled and tempered. You will never hear me yell. You won't hear me scream. But, the team will know when I'm not happy with them. I hope they would also say that I treated them well and fairly, and that I allowed them the latitude to do their jobs. That's always been my motto: Surround yourself with the best talent possible, give them your expectations and a vision, and get out of their way. Q | One year, you wrote off $1.3 billion in gross charges for indigent care. Can you talk about your views on health policy and providing health care to the underserved? A | My passion for the underserved is why I've spent my whole career in nonprofit health care. It is why, once I decided this was going to be my professional field, I wanted to be a part of something that was very mission-driven, very mission-oriented. Memorial Hermann has to be the most efficient operator so that there are resources available to cover all the free care that we have an obligation to provide in the community. That's one of the attractions of Memorial Hermann. It has 109 years of serving this community with an emphasis on serving everyone. It became a passion of mine—that the System provide high-quality, safe services to the community, take care of the people in need, and still have strong operating margins. The first thing we did was say that, to sustain the organization, we had to get a better balance sheet and operate more effectively. Those first three years, besides focusing on quality, we really focused on how to become better, stronger operators. Our ratios today are still equal to a lot of what you see in the very best for-profits, from both a salary and wage or supply standpoint. We are very, very efficient. That's not because it's a profit motive. It's actually the opposite. We need to be efficient to take care of the large indigent care commitment that we feel is our responsibility. That's where we come from. Q | Looking back on your career, what is your proudest accomplishment? A | To be honest, you don't come into leadership to seek out awards. However, it's always nice to be recog- nized. Anybody who says it's not isn't being truthful. The one award that sticks out the most is when I won the Father of the Year award, because being a good father is what is most important to me. It's great to come to work every day. I'm stimulated to go to work every day and do well there, but being able to be there for your family, raise your family the right way, and be appreciated for that—that's the one award that stands out. That is the only time I was brought to tears with an award. You're sitting up there and you're watch- ing these videos. You're seeing pictures of your kids growing up, they're talking on the video about you and my son's introducing me in front of the audience. That meant a lot to me. From a career standpoint, what meant the most was the National Quality Forum award. In 2009, Memorial Hermann was recognized as the country's foremost system when it came to quality and patient safety. That's what our System set out to do. All we heard about in the early years of that award was Johns Hopkins or the Mayo Clinic. We'd say, 'Wouldn't it be nice if a community-based health system that was not a big name in this country rose up the ranks and won an evidence-based, quantitative award?' That was what we set out to do and when Memorial Hermann finally achieved it that was a major moment for our System. Q | Let's talk about golf for a minute. Now that you're retired, any plans to play professionally with the Senior Tour? A | No—I learned a long time ago that you can be better than a lot of people at anything in life, including sports, but there are a whole bunch of people who are a heck of a lot better than you. It would be nice, but the reality is, I'm not good enough. I do want to play in national and local senior competitive events. It will be nice to get out, and I love competition. I love pushing myself to see if I can get better, but I'm also a realist. Q | What is next for you post-retirement? A | Nothing is set in stone, and the honest answer right now is that I don't know exactly what I will be doing in this next phase of my life. The only plan I have is to just enjoy life. I've worked since I was 12 years old. I'm used to having income come in. I'm used to being busy. I don't know how this retire- ment stuff will settle with me. People say, 'Are you going to ever come back?' I can't say no, but I can't say yes. I have to be true to myself. I'll see what a year, a year and a half does. If I'm bored and things aren't going the way I want, then yeah, I could come back. I'm young, I'm healthy. Q | I think your plate will be as full as you want it to be. A | That would be nice. I want to make sure I enjoy life. Part of the reason for retiring now is my family. I enjoy coming to work, but I'm the oldest of nine children. We grew up with meager means. We were a very tight family, and I am still very close with my family who are mostly back in the Cincinnati area. I moved away from Ohio in 1979 with the intent to come back, but my career never provided me an opportunity to go back home. The fourth-oldest sibling, my sister, died two years ago. A rare cancer took her, and I look back and say, 'I really didn't get to know her very well through her adult life because I was hardly ever around.' When you are in your early career you are able to return home more often, but when your children start growing up and they have their own lives in their city and you have your work life, there is not much available time to get back to your family in Cincinnati. I began to reflect on the valuable time I have lost with my siblings and my parents. Retirement provides me the freedom to get back to Ohio and spend more time with my family while I still have the opportunity. You will see me spending more time back in the Cincinnati area doing things with my parents and my siblings, just catching up on many, many lost years. Q | You will be greatly missed here in the Texas Medical Center. You're loved and adored by many, and have had such a profound impact on patients and their families. There are so many people who are proud to have had you here in Houston for this period of time, so thank you. A | Thank you for those kind comments. It means a lot, because I've always felt that adult-to-adult rela- tionships are the best. If you feel something, say it, but say it nicely. Put your opinions out there. I think most know I'm pretty straightforward and blunt. Sometimes people don't like direct communication and get offended, so it's hard to balance my leadership style and still be liked by people. I always strive to treat people with respect and dignity. Through the years, my communication style has worked. I have a few enemies out there, but that's OK. If you don't, you're not pushing hard enough. I think what the Texas Medical Center is doing now is great— a much-needed, progressive vision and a willingness to complement what the members and institutions bring to the table with innovation, development and go-to-market kind of concepts. Keep pushing. My passion for the underserved is why I've spent my whole career in nonprofit health care.