Today marks the 15th anniversary of my time working for my current employer, HCA Healthcare. Over the past 15 years I’ve had the opportunity to experience a multitude of different leadership roles across varying parts of the business, spanning multiple US States, and even expanding internationally in the United Kingdom. Through my time with HCA Healthcare and other organizations that I’ve had the great pleasure and privilege to work alongside, I have been a primary witness to some of the brightest, most dedicated, and intelligent leaders in both healthcare and the technology industry. Through those interactions over the years, I have tried to keep a running journal of the moments that I found most impactful during my career, with the hope that they would keep me pointed towards my own True North as a leader.

Reflecting on these moments now, I see a pattern of behaviors that I can only describe as Genuine Leadership. Examples of courage in the face of adversity, building meaningful connections in a world where superficial interaction is the norm, leveraging principal to drive authenticity not adversity, and staggering strength through vulnerability as a means to unify not divide. It is through these examples of Genuine Leadership that I have aspired to model my own leadership style, failing and succeeding in equal measure over the years to live up to these ideals. It is in that journey of constant self-evaluation that you truly gain the most insight into the lesson behind each of those moments and what is truly required for you to become a Genuine Leader.

Over the next several months I will be sharing one of these examples with you each week, as well as my thoughts and experiences as I have tried to put it into practice over the years. In doing so, I aim to share the moments of true leadership that have inspired me to become a better, more genuine leader each and every day. I hope you will share your feedback on the series, as well as your own experiences in practicing these behaviors.

To get things started, here is my first article of the series.