Turning on the Light podcast (Anyone Can Choose Leadership with Dennis Wagner and John Scanlon - Turn on the Lights Podcast | Podcast on Spotify) highlighted the key healthcare leadership themes in a just completed book by Dennis Wagner and John Scanlon. Leadership is distinct from management, administration, and observation. The book presents twelve essential leadership mindsets and methods drawn from years of experience and insights from respected figures. I agree with their assertion that Leadership is a choice and can be taught. Leaders view problems as a temporary setback to be overcome and usually do so by a team approach.

As I listened to this podcast from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), I fondly recalled the value I found in CALTCM’s Leadership and Management in Geriatrics (LMG) course in 2008. At that time, the POLST law had just been approved in California, and the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (https://coalitionccc.org/) was offering small grants to help counties implement the POLST. I partnered with a local palliative care activist and grant writer, Susan Keller, and together we submitted a grant proposal. At LMG, I was able to refine the initial proposal and selected a project mentor (a nursing professor) while at the course. In the following weeks, my mentor helped me consider important implementation details, which contributed to our project’s success.

For those who choose to lead, I recommend this podcast and highly recommend CALTCM’s upcoming LMG course.