By Renee Jensen

At one of the hospitals I served as CEO, I brought in an executive coach to work with our senior leadership team.  At the end of our time together, the coach complimented my team, saying it was one of the most high-performing groups he had ever worked with.  I was shocked.

In retrospect, I truly believe the reason for our ability to perform at a high level was our deep trust in one another, established through a genuine desire to know and care for each other.

Be a leader, not just a boss.

I lead through making personal connections.  Leaders truly care about the people they work with; bosses simply get the job done.  While I recognize that everyone has their own leadership approach, I like to get to know the people I work with and grow to genuinely care for them.  I want to learn what they’re passionate about and what their interests are outside of work—not simply so I can leverage that for the good of the organization, but for the sake of my team knowing they are respected and seen for who they are beyond the job.

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