At a time when there’s increasing demands on our healthcare system—and increasing uncertainty about the best path forward—I’m encouraged to see that several of the institutions shaping current and future healthcare leaders are recognizing the importance of mindfulness. Harvard Medical School offers a course titled The Science of Leadership, with a module specifically designed to equip leaders with practical mindfulness strategies. The University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine offers a program titled Mindful and Compassionate Transformative Leadership, designed for emerging leaders who plan to ultimately work in underresourced communities to increase access and improve mental and physical health outcomes.
There’s a need for smart strategy and frameworks, but it’s equally critical to train healthcare leaders to create the very best outcomes. We need leaders who’ve built the skills for clear thinking, decision-making, and communication.
Lowering healthcare costs and increasing transparency have been goals espoused by both Republicans and Democrats, from the President to the House Democratic leader. Anyone who follows me knows that my work is centered on identifying fundamental policy areas that transcend party affiliation. While the processes can look very different, the ultimate goal of a healthier population is clearly one that we should be able to align on.
But alignment works best when we exert equal forces to propel us toward the same goal. When we leverage calmness, clarity, and collaboration, we can have an extraordinary impact.
The Goal
My concern is that we’re too quick to focus on the “how” and too slow to remember the goal. The goal can and should be for every American to have access to an affordable primary care team that’s accountable for their health and well-being.
Too often, noise, pressure, and distraction conspire to distract us from that simple goal. That’s why I believe firmly in the importance of a mindful healthcare system shaped by mindful leaders. I created the Mindful Edge Coaching Program to address this vision. The goal is to teach healthcare leaders that through Silence as Strategy, Compassion as Influence, and Gratitude as Renewal, they can effectively advocate for a fair and equitable payment system. Through his approach, I believe it is possible to create a system that rewards providers based on the outcomes they deliver, in terms of higher quality and increased patient satisfaction.
What does this look like? It starts with focus and clarity. We must build the capacity to muffle the cacophony and train ourselves to keep directing our attention back to a vision of accessible, affordable healthcare. It weaves in the practice of responding instead of reacting under pressure, striving to listen and communicate in ways that are authentic and respectful.
Mindful leaders are adaptive and flexible. They don’t resist change; they acknowledge it while discerning how best to redirect toward their goal. They’re present and open-minded. They care not only for themselves, but also for others/
Which Brings Me to Empathy
In my work as a health advocate in Washington, there’s a real temptation to adopt an adversarial, us-versus-them mindset. But that’s a mindset that’s made it nearly impossible to create truly transformative change in healthcare. If we’re focused on persuading, convincing, and debating, we’re missing the opportunity to simply share what we know.
It’s a subtle but important difference. I’m not worried about what others think of me, whether they agree or disagree. If I have healthcare data that I believe will help them better serve their constituents, I’ll share it because it’s an opportunity to do good.
Mindful leadership for a mindful healthcare system means approaching every person as a divine being, recognizing what’s sacred in the unique individual you’re speaking with and serving. People aren’t defined by their votes or their political affiliations, by their zip code or tax bracket. They’re defined by the spark of the divine inside them.
Once we orient our leadership and our vision for healthcare around that awareness, partnering to ensure affordable, accountable primary care for all will move from ideal to reality.