Healthcare Leadership Excellence

Karl Pister
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

The Healthcare Leadership Excellence podcast was created to share valuable insights around leadership, communication, emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. Karl Pister, with over 30 years of coaching experience, is a passionate advocate of excellent and influential leadership. In each episode, Karl discusses real-life leadership challenges through the lenses of outstanding healthcare professionals. He is committed to empowering every healthcare leader lead with integrity, excellence, and inspiration.

  1. 22h ago

    Episode 216: Evicting Doubt and Leading Through Conflict with Stan Lewis

    In this episode, I sit down with Stan Lewis, former federal investigator and mediator and author of Evict the Doubts That Have Been Squatting Rent Free in Your Mind, for a conversation about servant leadership, conflict, and the doubts that can keep leaders from moving forward. Stan draws from nearly 700 mediated cases to explain why people become stuck in conflict. We discuss the importance of listening beyond the words, asking better questions, understanding different behavioral styles, and helping people focus less on being right and more on finding a path forward. We also explore what servant leadership really looks like. It isn't about being soft or avoiding accountability. It is about showing people that you are for them, supporting them, and creating an environment where they can do their best work. Our conversation closes with an issue I see frequently in healthcare: talented people being promoted into leadership without being taught how to lead. Stan shares why leadership training, coaching conversations, and intentionally supporting your people matter when moving from colleague to leader. This is a practical conversation about addressing conflict, moving beyond self-doubt, and becoming the kind of leader people know is genuinely in their corner. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

  2. 4d ago

    Episode 215: Slow Down to Lead Better with Dr. Brandon Fielding

    In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Brandon Fielding to explore the connection between how leaders think, react, and interact with the people around them. Dr. Fielding brings experience in psychotherapy, executive coaching, and organizational leadership. We discuss how that clinical background helps him recognize the patterns that can influence a leader’s behavior, while keeping coaching focused on performance, relationships, and growth. We also explore what happens when leaders move outside their “window of tolerance.” Dr. Fielding explains how stress and perceived threats can push us toward reaction instead of thoughtful action and why learning to recognize those signals and slow down can make us more effective leaders. Our conversation turns to new leaders, particularly in healthcare, who are promoted because they are exceptional at their craft but suddenly find themselves needing an entirely different set of skills. Awareness, emotional regulation, trust, and the ability to navigate difficult conversations become just as important as technical expertise. Dr. Fielding leaves us with two practical reminders: slow down and set boundaries. Leadership is not about managing everyone else’s emotions. It starts with managing your own response so you can show up with greater clarity and intention. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

  3. Sep 21

    Episode 214: The Human Side of Leadership with Dr. Larry Kuhn

    In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Larry Kuhn to explore what happens when strong business thinking meets a deeper understanding of people. Larry shares his journey from growing up on an Indiana dairy farm to becoming a CFO, and eventually making a major career change to become a clinical psychologist. That combination of business, data, and psychology has shaped how he approaches leadership today. We talk about the importance of insight—understanding yourself, becoming curious about how others experience you, and recognizing the patterns that influence behavior and relationships. Larry also shares a memorable lesson from his father about plowing a straight row: instead of constantly looking backward, focus on a point ahead and let it guide you forward. It’s a simple but powerful lesson about leadership, vision, and helping people move toward something rather than pushing them there. We also discuss workplace culture, the relationship between supervisors and employees, and why great leadership requires more than competence. As Larry explains, it takes theory, technique, and heart. This conversation is a reminder that leadership is not only about results. It’s about understanding people and creating the relationships that help them grow. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

  4. Sep 17

    Episode 213: Building a Sustainable Career in Medicine with Dr. Rob Orman

    In this episode, I welcome Dr. Rob Orman back to the podcast to talk about his new book, Supranormal, and the realities of building a sustainable career in medicine. Rob shares his own experience as an emergency physician and the struggles he faced early in his career. We discuss why the same grit that helps physicians survive high-pressure situations can become a problem when it becomes the answer to everything. As Rob puts it, “In crisis, grit saves you. In burnout, it buries you.” We explore the difference between having a “renter” versus an “owner” mindset toward your career, and why creating a fulfilling professional life often requires subtraction rather than simply adding more. Rob also explains the idea of a “plus one”, something outside clinical work that brings energy, meaning, and greater career longevity. Our conversation then turns to conflict. Rob shares practical ways leaders can replace defensiveness with curiosity, including the simple question, “Tell me what you’re thinking.” We also discuss the 10% rule: looking for the part of another person’s idea that has value instead of immediately judging or dismissing it. This conversation is a reminder that resilience is not simply about pushing harder. Sometimes the better path is to slow down, become curious, create better boundaries, and intentionally build a career and a life that can last. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

  5. Sep 14

    Episode 212: Becoming Conflict Competent with Kim Best (Part 1)

    In this episode, I sit down with Kim Best, founder and president of Best Conflict Solutions, to talk about something many leaders would rather avoid: conflict. Kim shares her path from working as a critical care and emergency room nurse to becoming a mediator and conflict management expert. We discuss why conflict can feel so threatening, why our past experiences shape the stories we tell ourselves about other people, and how the “ladder of inference” can cause us to reach conclusions before we fully understand what is happening. We also talk about broken trust, difficult workplace relationships, and the importance of separating the person from the problem. Kim explains why moving forward does not mean ignoring what happened in the past, but it means understanding it, learning from it, and getting clear about what needs to change. Our conversation also explores the role of HR and why organizations need to build conflict competence instead of expecting HR to solve every disagreement. A key takeaway from our conversation is simple: conflict is normal. The goal is not to eliminate it. The goal is to develop the skills to handle it well. For leaders, especially those working in healthcare, technical expertise can only take you so far. The ability to navigate conflict, preserve relationships, and have productive conversations is a leadership skill that matters just as much. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

  6. Sep 8

    Episode 211: The Leadership Gaps Holding Organizations Back with Lorraine Armijos

    In this episode, I sit down with returning guest Lorraine Armijos, founder of LAR Insights, for a conversation about strengthening organizational systems and developing the leaders responsible for making them work. Lorraine shares four gaps she commonly sees inside organizations: clarity, visibility, capability, and rhythm. We discuss how these gaps can create silos, unclear expectations, stalled progress, and teams that are working hard without always knowing what success looks like. We also explore what happens when high-performing individual contributors are promoted into leadership roles without the development they need. Being an excellent nurse, physician, therapist, or technical professional does not automatically prepare someone to lead people. New leaders need support in delegation, feedback, difficult conversations, accountability, and understanding how their role contributes to the larger organization. Our conversation also touches on the balance between micromanagement and being too hands-off, the importance of meaningful check-ins, and why leaders need to get out from behind their desks and understand what is actually happening on the front lines. This conversation is a reminder that developing strong leaders and building effective systems have to happen together. When organizations invest in both, they create greater clarity, stronger teams, and a better foundation for lasting success. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

  7. Aug 31

    Episode 210: The Power of Believing in People with Shandy Welch

    In this episode, I welcome Shandy Welch back to the Healthcare Leadership Excellence Podcast for a conversation about work ethic and what leaders can do to help people develop it. Shandy shares the story of spending her summers at Elk Creek Ranch in Wyoming and the influence of Hap Ridgeway, who challenged her as a teenager to help build a mile-long fence. What stayed with her was not the fence itself, but having someone believe she was capable of doing something difficult before she necessarily believed it herself. We discuss how that same principle applies in the workplace. Leaders can set high expectations, but expectations alone are not enough. People need to feel valued, heard, acknowledged, and connected to something greater than themselves. Shandy also shares why leaders need to slow down and invest time in relationships. When she began developing a total joint program at a hospital, she spent her first two months getting to know the people, teams, and surgeons before seeing a single patient. That investment created the trust and understanding needed to build something successful. The conversation is a reminder that developing work ethic is not simply about asking people to work harder. It is about knowing your people, believing in their potential, giving them meaningful challenges, and creating the kind of relationship that makes them willing to take those challenges on. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

  8. Aug 24

    Episode 209: The Forgotten Art of Healing with Dr. Alan Cohen

    In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Alan Cohen, pediatric neurosurgeon and author of Comfort Always, for a conversation about the balance between extraordinary medical skill and the human side of healing. Dr. Cohen shares lessons from four decades of caring for children and families facing some of the most difficult diagnoses imaginable. We discuss why technology can treat disease, but kindness, compassion, humor, honesty, and hope remain essential to healing the patient and supporting the entire family. We also explore humility in leadership. Dr. Cohen explains why he works to flatten the hierarchy in the operating room, create an environment where everyone can speak up, and remind even the most accomplished physicians that confidence and arrogance are very different things. Our conversation also touches on uncertainty, artificial intelligence, surgical judgment, and the importance of remaining curious and observant. Despite remarkable advances in medicine, Dr. Cohen reminds us that sometimes the most important thing a physician—or a leader—can do is slow down, listen, and see the person in front of them. This conversation goes well beyond medicine. It is a powerful reminder that leadership is ultimately about people, and that no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. 👉  Download The Leader’s Ultimate Guide to Difficult Conversations, a practical framework for entering difficult conversations with clarity, discipline, and influence. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Contact us on our website. 👉 Subscribe to Karl's YouTube channel. Ready to level up your leadership skills? Sign up for The Coaching Group's leadership courses.

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About

The Healthcare Leadership Excellence podcast was created to share valuable insights around leadership, communication, emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. Karl Pister, with over 30 years of coaching experience, is a passionate advocate of excellent and influential leadership. In each episode, Karl discusses real-life leadership challenges through the lenses of outstanding healthcare professionals. He is committed to empowering every healthcare leader lead with integrity, excellence, and inspiration.

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