For 25 years, MEDI Leadership has helped healthcare leaders navigate change, foster resilient teams, and grow their leadership impact. As a result, we’ve had the privilege of watching our clients thrive through some of the industry’s most defining moments: mergers, crises, breakthroughs, transitions, the evolving demands and complexities of healthcare.
Throughout it all, one constant remains: leadership, like healthcare, is a journey of learning.
As we celebrate MEDI Leadership’s 25th anniversary, we asked a few of our coaches to share about their journey coaching healthcare executives and teams.
Here’s what they had to say.
“What compelled you to serve as an executive coach in healthcare?”
 Lee Angus | I’m attracted to the complexity of it, the challenge. Healthcare leaders operate in an incredibly complex and challenging environment, and it takes a specific set of leadership competencies to succeed in that environment. Helping leaders who are trying to help their community at their point of highest need and vulnerability feels good to me. |
 Eric Norwood | I fell in love with healthcare in my teens and never considered any other career for over three decades. When, as a health system CEO, I was offered the gift of leadership coaching, I wasn’t sure how it would work. But it brought so much value to my life and work that it left a pebble in my shoe of what I wanted to do in my Fourth Quarter! |
 Rachel Miller | As both a physician and healthcare leader, I am deeply passionate about the work of healthcare professionals. There is nothing more intimate than the bond between a physician and their patient. Healthcare leaders have a profound impact on the health of their communities, and when they can be their best selves, they amplify that impact exponentially. |
 Gary Hoffman | As a young physician, I found myself being asked to be involved with various team leadership roles, groups and organizations—both in clinical and non-clinical roles. At that time, the opportunities to learn about leadership came in the form of well-meaning, didactic lectures. While the information was helpful, it was not immediately relevant to what I was dealing with, so after a few months the information didn’t stick. When I was first exposed to coaching, I saw that what I was learning was immediately relevant to me and the problems I was facing as a leader. As a result, I immediately started to grow in capability and confidence. As I approached the end of my clinical years, I made the decision to become professionally certified as an executive coach in healthcare, specifically to help others so they can experience the same growth as leaders. |
“What’s one principle you believe is foundational to effective leadership?”
 Deena Fischer | The phrase: “You don’t have to be sick to get better.” I often hear Lee Angus (MEDI President) say this, which is commonly attributed to several authors. It emphasizes the idea that even strong leaders can continuously improve. It’s about unlocking your potential, enhancing your strengths, and achieving even greater impact as a leader. |
Eric Norwood | I believe Curiosity and Humility enable the exercise of effective leadership influence. The world is complex, so leaders cannot know all the answers to the challenges they and their teams face. The ability to admit, “I don’t know, but we can figure this out together,” takes both humility and curiosity. |
 Michael Hein | Leaders do better when they modulate their approaches, actions, and behaviors to match their context. The “trick” is expanding a leader’s behavioral portfolio, giving the leader more options to reach for than what they presently have available. Like all of us, leaders tend to rely on patterned approaches. If contexts change, but methods are static, leaders often don’t do as well as they could. Coaching can help leaders see more of what is possible. |
 Loran Hauck | Trust. I often say, “Trust is the currency of leadership.” The ability to extend trust and earn trust creates the culture around a leader where effective teamwork can exist and flourish. |
“What’s one thing you’ve learned while coaching healthcare leaders?”
Gary Hoffman | Healthcare is incredibly complex. Leading in a complex world requires a different mindset and approach. As one client told me, learning to do so can be liberating, and it starts with changing yourself. |
Rachel Miller | Every individual has remarkable qualities, and one of the most rewarding aspects of coaching is helping them uncover and harness their unique strengths. |
Michael Hein | Almost every single one wants to be their best selves and wants to do good. Everyone has opportunities for growth. |
Lee Angus | It’s surprising to me how many leaders go to work and wonder, “Is today the day I’m going to be found out? Am I up to the task? Can I do this?” Many leaders question their ability, and that surprised me. |
“What do you find most rewarding about working with others?”
Rachel Miller | Seeing someone gain clarity on their vision is incredibly rewarding. I love witnessing those “aha” moments when a client recognizes their own capabilities and sees the path forward. |
Eric Norwood | I love the deep personal connections I build with my clients. We stay connected over the years, and I find great joy in seeing how they progress in their life and work. Our motto at MEDI is “once a client, always a friend!” |
Lee Angus | I love watching our clients grow, taking solid leadership theory and turning it into muscle memory — then seeing the downstream effects of that. |
Deena Fischer | What excites me most about helping people grow and achieve their coaching goals is witnessing their journey of self-discovery and transformation. It’s fascinating to observe the commonalities among leaders, particularly how their inner critic often shapes their challenges and how coaching helps them navigate and overcome it. It is immensely rewarding to see clients moving from a time of increased awareness to implementing adjustments, allowing them to step into their full potential as stronger, more confident leaders. |
“What’s a book, quote, or mentor that has had a profound impact on you?”
Loran Hauck | “Emotional Agility” by Susan David. A big underpinning of the book is the Viktor Frankl quote: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In that choice lies our growth and our freedom.” Helping clients find this space when they get emotionally triggered and pausing before they respond to consider how they want to come across and who they want to be in a given situation is so helpful and eye-opening. |
Rachel Miller | “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou |
 Dave Huber | “The Second Mountain: A Quest for a Moral Life” by David Brooks. |
Gary Hoffman | So many! Two quotes come to mind:“Leadership is an exercise in getting to know yourself.” (Anonymous)“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In your response lies our growth and freedom.” (Viktor Frankl)I like to add that in our response, also lies our happiness. |
As we look into the future, one thing is clear: leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about embracing curiosity, growth, and the courage to evolve. The insights shared by our coaches reflect the core of our work at MEDI Leadership: empowering healthcare leaders to navigate complexity with confidence, build trust, and galvanize their impact.
Whether you’re a seasoned executive or emerging leader, the journey of leadership is ongoing and ever-changing. If you could use a sounding board or trusted guide, we’d love to help.
