HCA
Surround yourself with good people who balance out your weaknesses with their strengths.
“My most important leadership principle was surrounding myself with good people who balanced out my strengths and weaknesses,” says Thomas Frist, MD, who in 1968 cofounded HCA in Nashville, Tennessee.
“For instance, my strength was not operations. So I hired Jack Bovender, who had a proven track record, great ethics, and strong moral character, as our COO.
“From 1978 to 1984, we built the best board in corporate America. In 1997, I came back to a $20 billion company as CEO and let 12 of the top 16 officers go in the first month, because of either their management style, abilities, or the public’s lack of trust in them. They were identified with all of the problems associated with a massive government investigation into fraud and abuse. Over the next six months an outstanding senior management team was assimilated that represented both the skills and values necessary to lead a healthcare company with 270,000 employees.
“I also rebuilt the board again to one of the best in the United States. Several members have been recognized by ‘Corporate Board’ as Directors of the Year.”
Thomas most admires Ronald Reagan as a great leader. Other advice-from him for leaders includes:
- Stay focused.
- Don’t take on too many tasks at once.
- Prioritize.
- Observe, read about, and study the lives of successful leaders in many different sectors.
- Always remain true to your word.