Video Transcript: What Is the Most Important Leadership Skill?

Marilu Bintz, MD, MBA, FACS; Vice President of Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin

Every time I talk to a young leader, they want to know, “what should I study? Should I study finance or human resources or strategy? What should I study?” I say, “well, you know, read and be curious, but most important: listen.” Just like you try to do with a patient, and we all fall short almost 100 percent of the time. Listen. When the staff is trying to help you understand what they do day-to-day, listen. Don’t in your head all of a sudden try to make it better. Be quiet. Listen.

There’s a science out there called appreciative inquiry, and I’m a huge fan of appreciative inquiry. Ask questions you don’t know the answer to. Don’t try and prove you know everything. Ask questions that you don’t know the answer to. I think that’s the way you begin to develop leadership, and it’s a hard slog for a lot of physicians. It was for me, because I was absolutely sure I knew all the answers on Day 2, and that by Day 5, I probably should be the CEO. Not so true.

It’s about being a good listener, being curious. You have to educate yourself. Come to IHI, go to meetings where you get a broad range of experience, but network. Talk to people. How do you do this at your organization? I’m really struggling with patient satisfaction scores. How do you do it? Ask questions, because it’s places like this at IHI where you have the greatest resource in the world, and that’s experienced people.