Women have assumed leadership roles across all industries and are demonstrating remarkable success. Our nation is witnessing growth and opportunity in the healthcare sector, but specifically in the business of home health and hospice services.
I had the pleasure of having a conversation with three exceptional women who have not only shaped home-based care delivery for the 21st century but are providing distinctive leadership and innovation during its current transformation.
I learned that each of these CEOs of large organizations have overcome extraordinary personal and professional challenges during their careers. Working ones’ way to the top of a profession is equally as difficult as leading from the CEO chair.
Lessons From the Top
What these women leaders shared in our conversation wasn’t surprising. They all agreed that role models were challenging to find, and the path is one that you often need to pave for yourself. This comes from life experience, which often includes missteps, failures and learning opportunities.
What they were very candid about was the need to remain steadfast, determined and focused on the end goal. This meant staying grounded in their own personal beliefs, values and reconnecting daily with their “personal why.”
From One Female to Another
All three women have different leadership styles and offer a glimpse into how they have navigated their career journey.
Jennifer Sheets has clear vision and said, “Do not settle. Always challenge the status quo and always think about the art of the possible.” Sheets is the president and CEO for Caring Brands International and Interim HealthCare Inc.
Marcylle Combs, president of MAC Legacy offered, “Do not take no as really no, take no as maybe. Do not let people tell you that it cannot be done. Above all things, just have fun.”
Carla Davis, chief executive officer (CEO) of Heart of Hospice paved her own path from a passion and vision that became clear to her during her academic work. “I think it is about finding your passion and then pursuing that with all kinds of zeal. Be true to yourself.”
Learn From the Problem
Even great leaders make mistakes. What separates the business leaders from the crowd is how they address and grow from the challenges in front of them.
Combs is honest about an experience that changed her. “The key lesson I learned was every thought in my head does not have to come tumbling out of my mouth.”
“I have been humbled many times,” admits Sheets. “Figure out how to be grace under pressure because you can never depend on things to act the way they should. In my mind, every single challenge has a solution. So, when we do stumble, what do we do about it and how do we then move to the next level?”
Davis recalls the overwhelming career transition she experienced, from filling orders to giving them as CEO. “I learned from a particular experience that when you are in chaos or crisis, you need to keep the main thing the main thing. I was focused upwards and around instead of focused on supporting my team at a time of crisis.”
A Balancing Act
Life balance is certainly challenging for every leader, but especially for women; to master that balance of a career and a family may seem impossible.
Combs agrees, “The truth is, sometimes work wins, and sometimes your family wins. Above all, try to have fun every day, focus on the big things and be intentional with your time.”
“I would say, be willing to lose sleep to do what is important to you. In today’s day and age, people think that being successful means you have to give something up and that is not always true. If you are creative with your time, I promise it will be worth it in the end,” Sheets adds.
Learn From Those Before You
The leaders have stressed how much they value being mentored early on and the influence it had on their careers.
Davis urges both professionals and leaders, “For a person who wants to be developed, seek it, ask for it. Ask for experiences to sit in on meetings and just be quiet, observe and listen. To the leaders, I just encourage you to involve people and develop people young. You have to be willing to let people fail because we learn so much through failing.”
“Embrace all the qualities that make you, you,” advises Sheets. “To succeed, you do not have to try and nor should you try to blend into the rest of the world or attempt to bury the qualities that make you special. Being a woman leader does not mean dismissing all the beautiful qualities that make each of us who we are.”
Combs leaves us with, “To be focused, to be prepared and to be a reader. John Maxwell says ‘If you want to be a leader, you have to be a reader.’ You should be checking off books, like the proposed regulations for home health or hospice, or the final rule. Read books that are about leadership and how to be a better person, do your homework, if you will.”
This quick snapshot is a tiny portion of the advice and stories these leaders shared, but the conversation can be viewed in its entirety here.
