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How Leaders Lead with David Novak

#124: Dr. John Noseworthy, CEO Emeritus of Mayo Clinic – Improve what’s already working

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

David Novak Leadership

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management

4.8596 Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today’s guest is Dr. John Noseworthy, CEO Emeritus of Mayo Clinic. People come from all over the world to get treatment at the Mayo Clinic. It’s always ranked at or near the top of the best hospitals in the country.  And it takes a special leader to step into an established organization with a sterling reputation – and make it even better. And Dr. Noseworthy is a special leader! He knew it was critical not only to keep that level of excellence but also to build on it. In his ten years at the helm, he relentlessly drove out inefficiency and waste. That freed up resources they could reinvest in even more of the research and care they’re known for.  Now, it wasn’t easy. Change never is! And that’s especially true in an organization like Mayo where people already feel like things are working well. But a great leader drives change even in high performing organizations. Listen to learn how John does it, and how you can do it, too. You’ll also learn: How to spot and eliminate inefficiency, even in a high-performing culture Advice for young people who want to find a satisfying career  Practical tips for helping subject-matter experts understand business principles What he would do about the US healthcare system if he had a magic wand Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go  Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to How Leaders Lead, where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world.

0:10.8

I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader.

0:18.4

That's what this podcast is all about. Today's guest is Dr. John

0:22.9

Noseworthy, CEO Emeritus of Mayo Clinic. Now, people come from all over the world to get

0:29.2

treatment at Mayo. Their doctors and researchers make major breakthroughs that have made life

0:34.6

better for all of us. I mean, we're talking about one of the very best hospitals in our country.

0:40.8

And listen, it takes a special leader to step into an established organization like Mayo

0:45.7

with a sterling reputation and make it even better.

0:50.2

And Dr. Noseworthy is a special leader.

0:53.6

He knew it was critical to keep that level of excellence, but also to build on it.

0:58.3

In his 10 years at the helm, he was relentless about driving out inefficiency and waste,

1:03.9

doing that freed up resources so they could reinvest in all the great research and in all the care that they're known for.

1:11.7

Now, I got to tell you, it wasn't easy.

1:14.2

I mean, change never is, right?

1:16.6

And that's especially true in an organization where people already feel like things are going

1:21.4

pretty darn well.

1:22.8

But a great leader drives change even in high-performing organizations.

1:29.2

I can't wait for you to see how John does it and how you can do it too. So here's my conversation with my good friend and soon to be

1:35.5

yours, Dr. John Knowsworthy. I can't wait to go deep into how you lead and how you've just taken Mayo Clinic to new heights.

1:49.1

But first, I want to play Name That Band with you.

1:52.6

Are you ready for this?

1:54.1

Okay, now get ready.

...

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