Great healthcare operations leaders don’t come from a single background. And these different experiences and environments can enhance their effectiveness as they step into more complex levels of leadership.

I recently reached out to a collection of healthcare operations and senior leaders asking the question:

Before your first operations leadership role, what was your professional background — and what’s one idea, habit, or lesson from that experience that still shapes how you show up and lead today?

These leaders started their careers across a range of fields including marketing, HR, military service, international development, security, strategy, finance, and clinical care. All before moving into higher levels of leadership overseeing diverse teams.

Let’s look at a few of the themes throughout their experiences, followed by one key takeaway from each leader.

While paths differ, several themes repeat across these stories:

1. Adaptability beats linear progression.
Many successful leaders didn’t follow a perfect path into operations — they responded to opportunity, disruption, or necessity. That adaptability later became a leadership strength.

2. Execution matters more than ideas.
Several leaders emphasized moving beyond identifying problems to actually solving them. These leaders don’t just talk and share ideas — they take action.

3. Discipline across all aspects of life.
Early mornings, daily routines, reading, exercise, reflection, and preparation weren’t framed as shortcuts — but important traits in their own right.

4. Humility creates trust.
From learning before having authority to remembering where they started, many leaders described humility as foundational to earning credibility with teams and peers.

5. People come before systems.
Even leaders with strong systems, strategy, or financial backgrounds repeatedly emphasized one truth: operations only work when the people doing the work are supported.

Below are highlights from each leader: name and title, one key idea, and a brief summary of how their background continues to shape their leadership today.

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Thank you to this group for taking time to share their insights with the rest of us.  

Jarrod McNaughton — Health Plan CEO / Former Hospital CEO

“My number one role is to take care of the people who take care of people.”

Coming up through marketing, business development, strategy, and philanthropy, Jarrod learned early that leadership shows up most clearly in how people are treated — and how impactful good writing is on the trajectory of a healthcare leader’s career. Observing both strong and poor leaders sharpened his people-first philosophy — one grounded in communication, trust, and responsibility to those doing the work.

Anthony Stahl — Hospital CEO

“Systems matter, but people matter more.”

Early work in international development and mission-driven leadership taught Anthony to lead in complexity and constraint. That experience reinforced the importance of grounding operations in human relationships, daily disciplines, and the belief that growing other leaders is the highest form of impact.

Scott Reiner — Former System CEO

“Envision the future state — then reverse engineer the path to get there.”

Scott began his career as a registered nurse before moving into clinic and non-acute operations leadership, and then on to the CEO of a 27 hospital system. That clinical foundation shaped a planning mindset focused on execution — defining a clear future vision and working backward to make it real at scale.

Terry Newmyer — Former Hospital CEO

Treat every day as practice for the role you haven’t been given yet.

Early career pressure led Terry to reframe his work as continuous practice rather than constant performance. That shift reduced stress, improved learning, and helped him approach leadership challenges with greater clarity and confidence.

Jamie Couch — Divisional Vice President, Rural Health Clinics

“I never wanted to be just a problem-finder — I wanted to be a problem-solver.”

With a finance background, Jamie learned to move beyond identifying issues to delivering solutions. Long before formal authority, he studied his leaders closely, anticipated needs, and built credibility through curiosity, follow-through, and ownership.

Sarah Knisely-King — Chief Operating Officer / Chief Nursing Officer

Unit-level leadership, combined with the right mentors, prepares you to lead hospitals.

Starting as an ER nurse and serving in charge nurse, manager, and director roles across multiple emergency departments, Sarah built strong operational instincts early. Mentorship and frontline experience allowed her to scale those skills across entire hospitals.

Ashley Dower — Hospital COO

Persistence doesn’t always create popularity — but it does create progress by establishing the processes and education needed to sustain change.

Sixteen years in healthcare, starting as a speech-language pathologist and growing into a service line leader, shaped Ashley’s belief in sustained focus on patient outcomes. She’s seen the most durable change occur when teams commit to dialogue, follow-through, and not giving up when improvement is hard.

Colin Weaver — Hospital COO

“Hard work never fails — it only advances.”

Military experience instilled habits of discipline, preparation, and early starts that still anchor Colin’s leadership today. Those routines create consistency — and consistency drives results in complex operational environments.

Graham Allen — Executive Director of Operations

“Accept the opportunity — no matter how glamorous — and learn from it.”

Beginning his career in philanthropy and HR before transitioning into operations, Graham learned that growth often comes from saying yes. Each role became a learning experience that prepared him for broader responsibility.

Mel Crawford — Executive Director, Corporate EVS Operations

“Stay adaptable. Be willing to take risks.”

Mel’s career spans IT, entrepreneurship, hospital security, and EVS leadership across multiple states. Navigating economic disruption and career pivots reinforced adaptability, humility, and a deep commitment to mentoring others along the way.

Alex Soares — Director of Operations

“Strategy only matters if it’s executable, and execution only works when you understand the operational reality on the ground.”

With a background in strategic planning and business development, Alex learned to think end-to-end. Understanding operational reality ensures that strategy translates into outcomes for teams and patients.

Zach McGeorge — Behavioral Health Director

“Never forget where you come from.”

Zach’s career in behavioral health began at the entry level. Remembering early roles and challenges shaped a leadership style rooted in humility, gratitude, and empathy for those navigating difficult moments at work.

Additional reflections may be added as more leaders contribute.