Most of us didn’t get into healthcare to fix a broken system. We entered because we were drawn to something greater—a purpose, a mission, a calling. And despite the challenges, the fragmented policies, and the inefficiencies, this system—cobbled together though it may be—still works better than most places in the world. Not because of its design, but because of the people who make it work.
But what if we imagined something better? What if we saw not just what is probable, but what might be possible?
When I wrote #LeadWithImagination, it was to remind me that innovation starts with imagination. It begins in the mind’s ability to see something different, to be competently curious, to challenge assumptions (relentlessly if need be), and to dare to solve problems that have seemed unsolvable for too long.
And yet, imagination alone is not enough. It must run through culture. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Well, culture eats innovation, too—unless we deliberately nurture it. The best ideas in the world are meaningless without a culture that allows them to take root, evolve, and turn into something real.
Healthcare’s challenges are uniquely complex because its solutions must serve multiple stakeholders—patients, caregivers, employers, insurers, communities, policymakers, and investors. A truly imaginative healthcare system must find ways to serve all of them while never losing sight of its core purpose: the patient.
In this series, we will explore what it means to imagine a healthcare system that works better for everyone—a health system that:
💡 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨
💡 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥
💡 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 (𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦
💡 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦
💡 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘺
💡 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭)
💡 𝘌𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘐 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴—𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦
This is about making imagination practical. It’s about leading healthcare toward what it was always meant to be. In Part 2, we’ll explore why imagination is more important than ever in an era of relentless technological change—and why leaders must put people first, tech last.
