The Reverse Mullet Healthcare Podcast
Ellen Brown, Justin Politi, and Dave Pavlik bring their 90 collective years of healthcare experience to BP2 Health where they're on a mission to effect real change in the industry. Connect with BP2 Health Here: https://bp2health.com/contact/
The Reverse Mullet Healthcare Podcast
Embracing Failure in a Framework for Innovation with John Couris
On the Road Edition - Live at ViVE, Episode 1
Ever wondered how the tides of healthcare can be turned by those at the helm? Join us for quick chat with John Couris, the trailblazing President and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center, who's known in the industry to be driving change. He joins the BP2 Health team to forge into the heart of innovation, as John lays out a four-part framework that includes the unlikely pillar of embracing failure. He has a belief that if we take the time to learn from the missteps of the past we can fuel future breakthroughs. His candid nature and proactive approach in crafting a space for healthcare leaders to engage in transformative brainstorming sets the stage for a discussion brimming with insights and actionable strategies.
John’s enthusiasm was palpable along with his fervent desire to elevate the industry. His readiness to assist and shape a more resilient healthcare landscape is infectious. The mini-episode will leave listeners wanting for more but not to fret, John accepted our invitation to return for a full episode. The exchange culminates in resounding applause, not just for our guest's dedication, but for the shared commitment to effecting REAL change in the industry. It's a session steeped in the spirit of collaboration, brimming with the collective ambition to inspire and implement meaningful transformations within the healthcare sector.
I am Ellen Brown and we are here at Vive in Los Angeles for an on-the-road edition of the Reverse Mullet Healthcare Podcast.
Speaker 1:I'm Dave Pavlik and Dave Pavlik is here as well. And who are we here with John Kouros? I'm super excited. So I told John I have to tee this up and then John's going to introduce himself. But I told John that when I was at JP Morgan in January, I asked folks, tell me who's making an effort to really change the industry In all caps real change, right, because that's our platform is to discuss that.
Speaker 1:And your name came up multiple times. John's name came up multiple times and I've been like hemming and hawing about how to get John on the show. So we connected through me tagging him on LinkedIn to say I want to get you for one of these 10 minute clips for the on the road edition. And he's here. And I have to tell everybody that I just love that about this industry is when people are truly engaging and and you're such a busy man but the fact that I just love it when people are doing their own content and they're truly paying attention to what's going on and and it means a lot. So thank you for being here.
Speaker 1:Yes, and he walked in the room and the first thing he said was are you ready to have the time of your lives? Yeah right, Exactly so. I mean, how could we not? I know, why don't you tell us about yourself?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm John Kouros. I'm the president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center Sciences Center, which is Tampa General Hospital, and we're a six-hospital system about 150 locations. We're affiliated with the University of South Florida, specifically the Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health, and very proud partners of the university, and I've been there for about six and a half years and I really appreciate the shout out around that because I believe that we're students of the industry and we need to be part of the change and not get swept up by the change, and we have to be real about it. You know, I probably learn more from others than I contribute. That's kind of how I look at it, and so these kind of podcasts are really important, because we are not going to change the industry if we don't do these kind of things.
Speaker 1:We're not.
Speaker 2:If we don't talk about it, if we don't share best practices and, quite frankly, if we don't share our failures, the things that didn't work.
Speaker 1:I could do a whole episode on that.
Speaker 2:Have real conversations yeah, have real conversations I always joke with my team and say I'd love to one day, when I have the time, have a whole conference on all the failures that people have done. I mean, imagine going to a conference and not actually hearing about how great everybody is Right. We could embrace what you've learned, but actually go to a conference that the entire theme is predicated on.
Speaker 1:Where'd you fail?
Speaker 2:Let's celebrate failures and let's learn from them together.
Speaker 1:no-transcript. I will keep you doing it. I like this, if you can pull that conference off. I might wear the mullet, you might oh.
Speaker 2:I might wear the mullet. Now, if you can pull it off, I'll wear the mullet.
Speaker 1:I love that spin because I constantly say I want to bring together Everybody, brings together everybody, and this is a fantastic event. I'm not going to oh, its vibe is outstanding.
Speaker 2:It really is. This is a fantastic event I have to. I'm not going to it really is.
Speaker 1:But but just even if you could just take like a microcosm of folks like you and like we we talked to Febby Abraham back, you know, a couple of weeks ago. I love what he's doing and uh, and I would love to just take people like you and Febby and some others and put them in a room with a and just spitball stuff, because, right With just and no agendas, nobody's trying to make any money off of it or like just literally have the conversation.
Speaker 2:So this we should do it at your house.
Speaker 1:At my house. I don't feel like I have a fancy enough house for this. I have a great outdoor John's house.
Speaker 2:Oh, outdoors All right, all right, let's do it. Oh, it has to be outdoors if we're going to be creative, it's in Florida, so let's not do August, okay, no, yeah, yeah, not August, we'll come to Colorado to my cabin. It'll be great Perfect.
Speaker 1:So all right, so teeing it up. So the platform of this podcast is how can we affect real capital? All caps change in healthcare. So what do you think on that topic? What are your thoughts?
Speaker 2:Well, not to be redundant, but I think what you're doing here with your podcast and socializing the concepts of like, how do we change health care in a? We have to realize that and we have to embrace that. Now don't get me wrong. There are great health systems around our country and wonderful people doing really important, meaningful, transformational work. There is, there's a ton of that out there. However, it's not enough to move the needle.
Speaker 1:No, it's. I always say incremental. So I always say let's talk on this podcast and any other place that you want to talk about it Real change in the industry. But I'm not going to throw incremental change out with the bathwater, like it's the reality, like if we stop making incremental change then we're doing nothing Right. So I hear you where it's like you can't say, well, that's not good, they're not doing enough. You can say that we have to keep doing that. But it's the bigger stuff too.
Speaker 2:It absolutely is. I mean for us and we're probably like a microcosm, right obviously, of the industry For us, the way we do it, the way the lens that we look through is we look through a very simple lens Four aspects of how we work together, collaborate, innovate and actually make real change. To get to your question, we're very authentic. So we believe you show up as your genuine self and you look at problems authentically. Don't try to spin them, don't try to create some alternative reality. Look at them as they are. Yes, love it. I't try to create some alternative reality. Look at them as they are, yes love it.
Speaker 1:I said I wanted to get John on.
Speaker 2:I'm just like yay, but it really does start that way and that's very difficult in an industry like ours.
Speaker 1:It should be simple, yeah, but it's hard. There's so much ego tied up in all of this work. Really, I don't know anything about that, especially out here. No, there was no ego, none.
Speaker 2:But authenticity is key. The other aspect of how we do it and I think the way the industry should embrace it is we need to look at things transparently. We need to be transparent, and we're not. Our industry is a bit opaque, and that doesn't work. It doesn't work in the free market, well, it doesn't work for consumers and, quite frankly, I'd submit to you that it doesn't work for the men and women that call this industry their profession, and so transparency is incredibly important so that's the second aspect.
Speaker 2:The third is kindness and Right Like. Kindness is so important because when you are empathetic, when you're kind and when you lead with love, you create psychological safety in your organization. And when you create psychological safety, you can innovate and collaborate. Into your earlier point admit mistakes.
Speaker 1:So that's it. I was just going to say to you we have a we and I know we have to keep going here, but I just have to say we have somebody that we love to death in the industry and he is actually not in the industry right now because he made a decision. It failed, it was a risk, it was a phenomenal risk, it was a thing right, but he had to be the fall guy and it's that kind of stuff that sends the wrong message to the industry.
Speaker 2:Right, I was on the main stage, earlier talking about partnerships with Katrine, the CEO of the GE Healthcare of the. Americas Wonderful, dynamic woman doing a great job for GE Healthcare. But we were talking about failure. Yeah, and we celebrate failure. Celebrate it, learn from it, embrace it. Don't vilify somebody because they tried something and it didn't work.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Learn from your failures. Yeah, embr it didn't work, learn from your failures, embrace it, make it your own. That's critically important. And the last thing that I would say is look at the industry and lead your people through vulnerability. Admit when you make a mistake.
Speaker 1:Man, this is fantastic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the way we look at the world, or the way I look at the world, is I look through that lens and then, when it comes to making real change, all caps. You look at it that way and what you do is you empower people to do all sorts of innovative work, partner in all sorts of unique ways. And, by the way, if anyone listening to this is a little cynical, don't be. There is a ton of peer-reviewed literature out there that supports everything I'm sharing.
Speaker 1:You can get out there and study this. Nick Moriello, the CEO of Blue Cross Bushida, delaware, with Highmark. He has a very similar philosophy to yours. I wouldn't say it's the same exact four or whatever, but compassion compassion really cares about his people creates a very embraceable and he's had amazing success at transforming everything about that health plan in terms of retention of employees and satisfaction of employees, and so I couldn't agree with you more, it works.
Speaker 1:It does. So I know you're a busy man and you have other places to be. You have other speaking and meetings and everything else, but we really appreciate you taking the 10 minutes, 15 minutes, to talk to us and we will absolutely follow up and I hope you'll come on for a full episode with us.
Speaker 2:I would love to come up. I'd love to participate in a full episode. Please, let's stay in touch. I'm flattered that you reached out to me quite frankly and, like I said at the beginning, I'm just part of the process. I want to help people and I want to learn from people, and together we're going to make this industry better, more resilient and more highly reliable, and that's the journey that we're on. So thanks for the opportunity.
Speaker 1:We appreciate it. That deserves a round of applause. All right, thank you so much.