Pronovost discusses leading with love in monthly VITALS program
Dec. 15, 2023
“Love invites everyone to the table.”
That’s not necessarily a quote you would expect from a medical thought leader. But it’s exactly the message that Peter Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., FCCM, of University Hospitals shared during the VITALS program on Thursday, Dec. 14, via Zoom.
Dr. Pronovost discussed leading with love during NEOMED’s monthly health leadership series in collaboration with University Hospitals.
Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine and the recipient of the coveted MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” Dr. Pronovost is best known for his transformative work leveraging checklists to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections, which has saved thousands of lives.
He credits his accomplishments to love, and leading with love.
Without love, he says, “We discount ideas, diminish the ability to debate for fear of being in contempt or being canceled. And in doing so, we destroy progress and innovation. And people feel demeaned, demoralized and have decreased energy.”
He continues, “When we lead with love, the opposite happens. We believe in people that they’re innately good. We respect, uplift and unleash their brilliance. We feel we matter and that we feel we are valued and add value and support dialog and encourage the free flow of ideas without fear. We seek good ideas and effective solutions from wherever they may emerge. We focus on what works rather than who brings forth ideas. And love is strong enough for you to dislike someone’s ideas yet see their common humanity. When you leverage the power of love within and between people, you solve problems better, faster, cheaper. Learning and innovation flourish.”
Dr. Pronovost spoke for about 17 minutes – the average duration of a physician-patient visit – before introducing Monica Robins, WKYC senior health correspondent, who moderated a Q&A discussion.