Healthcare Leadership Excellence

Karl Pister
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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. 1D AGO

    Episode 174: Why Communication Fails Even When Everyone Agrees with Dr. Laura Sicola

    In this episode, I sit down with Laura Sicola, author of Speaking to Influence, to talk about something I hear in almost every organization: “We need to communicate better.” Everyone agrees. Everyone nods. And then everyone goes back to the same habits. Laura and I dig into why communication so often misses the mark, especially in healthcare environments where people are tired, rushed, and under real pressure. We talk about the illusion that communication has occurred, and why what you intend to say often has very little to do with what people actually hear. We explore the expert’s curse, how deep expertise can work against you and the habit many leaders fall into of talking to themselves while other people are in the room. If you’ve ever left a meeting wondering how the message got twisted, this will feel familiar. We also get into executive presence. What it really is, why it matters, and how leaders can develop it. Laura offers practical ways to see how you’re actually coming across, not how you think you are, and we talk candidly about the double standard many women face in leadership. We close with a reframing of branding for healthcare leaders. Laura offers a definition worth sitting with: a brand is the promise of an experience, consistently delivered. This is an episode you’ll want to listen to more than once, with ideas you can use immediately in meetings, huddles, and the conversations that matter most.

    38 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Episode 173: Leading Conflict Instead of Avoiding It with Dr. Jason Kuhl

    In this episode, I sit down again with Dr. Jason Kuhl, Chief Medical Officer at Providence Medford Medical Center, to talk about something every healthcare leader faces: conflict, and how to lead it instead of avoiding it. I open with a moment that’s stayed with me for years: watching Dr. Kuhl navigate a tense physician call with calm, discipline, and persistence until the right outcome happened. It’s a clear example of what this episode is about. Conflict isn’t the exception in healthcare, it’s part of the job. The real question is how leaders show up when it happens. We talk about why conflict often comes with change, why avoiding it erodes trust, and why healthy organizations don’t eliminate conflict, they use it to build clarity and alignment. Dr. Kuhl shares how trust is built long before conflict appears, why preparation and curiosity matter, and how separating the problem from the person changes everything. We also dig into practical leadership tools: slowing conversations down, creating space for hard discussions, and using shared agreements to reduce friction over time. Dr. Kuhl explains why compassion, authenticity, and grace aren’t soft ideas, but cultural foundations that directly affect performance and patient care. If conflict is something you’re facing or something you’ve been putting off, this conversation offers a grounded, realistic way forward. Subscribe to Karl’s Leadership Writing. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Have access to leadership materials that will level up your game. 👉 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.

    38 min

  3. FEB 2

    Episode 172: Why Great Leadership Is Simpler Than We Think with Amos Balongo

    In this episode, I sit down with Amos Balongo, a leadership consultant whose work spans corporate America, senior levels of the U.S. military, and global philanthropic efforts. Amos brings a rare combination of discipline, humility, and clarity to leadership, shaped by years of working in environments where performance, trust, and execution truly matter. We talk about why leadership so often breaks down when it becomes overly complicated, and why simplicity is not a lack of sophistication but a sign of mastery. Amos shares practical guidance on narrowing focus, identifying the few priorities that create the greatest impact, and avoiding the trap of assumed communication. He explains why leaders, especially new leaders, must learn to listen before they act. Our conversation goes deep into the shift from doing to leading. Amos explains why many high performers struggle when they step into leadership roles, and why strategic thinking requires intentional white space, reflection, and a willingness to remain a student. We also discuss servant leadership, motivation, inspiration, and what it really takes to move people toward meaningful change, particularly in high-stakes environments like healthcare. We also explore Amos’s philanthropic work through the Camp Ohana Foundation, where he focuses on developing future leaders through mentorship, education, and opportunity in both the United States and Africa. His work with children reinforces one of the central themes of this episode: leadership works best when it is clear, human, and grounded in service. This is a practical, grounded conversation for leaders who want to simplify their thinking, lead people more effectively, and create impact that lasts. Subscribe to Karl’s Leadership Writing. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Have access to leadership materials that will level up your game. 👉 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.

    40 min

  4. JAN 29

    Episode 171: Trust Is Not Soft with Kim Bohr

    In this episode, I sit down with Kim Bohr, President and Chief Operating Officer of SparkEffect, for a very real conversation about trust and why leaders can’t afford to treat it as a “soft” topic anymore. Kim and I talk about SparkEffect’s newly released 2025 Trust in Organizations Report, and what immediately stood out to me is this: trust is measurable, it affects the bottom line, and it breaks down faster than most leaders realize. We explore why trust rises and falls most dramatically at the direct-leader level, how small missteps can undo years of credibility, and the real cost of what Kim calls vague leadership. We work through practical scenarios healthcare leaders face every day—new nurse leaders managing experienced staff, teams navigating disruption and AI uncertainty, employees quietly cutting corners, and organizations handling layoffs without realizing the damage they’re creating. Kim introduces ideas like trust elasticity, trust as influence rather than title, and how leaders can actually increase trust during disruption instead of losing it. This conversation is about what leaders can do today. Not theory. Not slogans. We talk about clarity, consistency, curiosity, and transparency and how those show up in real conversations, real decisions, and real moments that either build trust or break it. If you lead people in healthcare and feel the pressure of constant change, this episode will give you practical ways to think differently about trust and lead with more intention when it matters most. Listener landing page: sparkeffect.com/healthcareKim's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimbohr/Kim's Company Website: https://sparkeffect.com/Courage to Advance Podcast: https://sparkeffect.com/sparkeffect-podcast-courage-to-advance/  Subscribe to Karl’s Leadership Writing. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Have access to leadership materials that will level up your game. 👉 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.

    43 min

  5. JAN 26

    Episode 170: The Cost of the Conversation That Never Happens with Dianna Anderson

    In this episode, I sit down with Dianna Anderson, CEO and co-founder of Cylient, and one of the early pioneers in the coaching profession. Dianna brings decades of experience helping leaders step into the conversations they most want to avoid, and shows why those conversations are often the ones that matter most. We talk about the real cost of the conversation that doesn’t happen. Not just in dollars, but in stalled initiatives, broken trust, and teams that never quite move forward. Dianna challenges the idea that coaching is a “nice to have” and reframes it as a practical way to help people think, choose, and act differently when complexity is high. A major part of our conversation centers on Dianna’s Untying the Knot framework. A simple but powerful way to approach sticky conversations one layer at a time. Instead of trying to force agreement, we explore how leaders can slow things down, build shared understanding, and create enough trust to move forward together. We also dig into what really gets in the way of productive dialogue: fear, outdated leadership habits, and the urge to treat people like problems to be fixed. Dianna explains why curiosity, compassion, and calm are not soft skills, but essential leadership tools in today’s unpredictable environment. If you lead people through tension, disagreement, or change and especially if you feel pressure to “just get results”, this episode offers practical ways to think differently about conversations, conflict, and the human side of leadership. Get in touch with Dianna: https://www.cylient.com/contact-us/ Subscribe to Karl’s Leadership Writing. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Have access to leadership materials that will level up your game. 👉 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.

    46 min

  6. JAN 22

    Episode 169: Medical Ethics When the Stakes Are Life and Death with Dr. Deborah Kozik

    In this episode, we step into new territory for the Healthcare Leadership Excellence Podcast and take on medical and biomedical ethics as it actually shows up in real clinical life. My guest is Dr. Deborah Kozik, a pediatric cardiac surgeon I’ve worked closely with over the past year. Alongside performing some of the most technically demanding surgeries in medicine, she also earned a Master of Science in Bioethics from Harvard University. We talk about why ethics rarely feels urgent until a crisis hits. Most leaders don’t think about ethics day to day, yet when emotion, identity, power, and life collide, many feel unprepared. Dr. Kozik walks us through a practical Ethics 101, including the tension between duty-based and outcome-based thinking, and why ethical decisions are often about competing goods rather than right versus wrong. A central theme is decision-making under emotional pressure. We explore how clinicians support parents facing life-altering decisions for their children, why surgeons cannot answer the question “What would you do if this were your child?”, and how honoring autonomy means respecting each family’s values and circumstances. We also dig into communication failures that create ethical crises unnecessarily. Dr. Kozik explains how fragmented conversations, unclear language, and lack of team alignment can escalate conflict, and how slowing down, using multidisciplinary conversations, and asking families to repeat back what they understand can change outcomes. We close with a simple primer on the four core principles of Western medical ethics, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, and why none should outweigh the others. This is a challenging but important conversation for physicians, nurses, administrators, and executive leaders alike. Ethics shows up any time decisions affect real people in irreversible ways. My hope is that this episode gives you clarity and language you can use before the crisis arrives. Subscribe to Karl’s Leadership Writing. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Have access to leadership materials that will level up your game. 👉 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.

    38 min

  7. JAN 19

    Episode 168: A Year in Review with the Coaching Group

    In this episode, I do something a little different. Instead of sitting down with a single guest, I bring together the team that makes the Healthcare Leadership Excellence Podcast and much of the work I do with leaders, actually happen. With more than 185 episodes behind us, this felt like the right moment to look back, and reflect on the year together. We talk honestly about what stretched us last year. That includes deeper work in team facilitation and mediation with academic medical centers, growing our YouTube presence from scratch, and watching leadership principles move from theory into real life. I ask each team member to describe the year in one word, which leads to some thoughtful and personal reflections. We also spend time on something we don’t talk about enough: how the talents we carry outside of our job titles, music, art, reading, listening, creativity, shape the way we lead and connect. Those skills matter more than we often realize. We close with a conversation about leadership itself. Not leadership by title or org chart, but leadership rooted in empathy, adaptability, and influence. The kind of leadership that starts with people, not process, and recognizes that nothing meaningful happens without trust. This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at the teamwork that makes this work possible, and a reminder that excellence in healthcare leadership is always a collective effort. Subscribe to Karl’s Leadership Writing. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Have access to leadership materials that will level up your game. 👉 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.

    33 min

  8. JAN 12

    Episode 167: Letting Go Without Losing Control with Laurie Baedke

    In this episode, I sit down again with Laurie Baedke to tackle a topic that hits close to home for many leaders: control. We start with an honest admission: what makes us successful early in our careers often involves tight control, precision, and personal ownership. The problem is that those same habits quietly stop working as our roles expand. Laurie walks through why high-achieving professionals, especially physicians and executives, struggle to let go. We talk about the psychology behind control, the discouragement that comes with needing new skills, and why leadership plateaus feel so tempting. She lays out a clear business case for releasing control, grounded in scalability, team engagement, burnout prevention, and succession planning. We bring it to life with real examples from a fast-rising executive whose overwork masquerades as dedication, to a surgeon whose precision in the OR becomes a liability in leadership. We close by getting practical: replacing control with clarity, building trust through role definition, and shifting identity from being the hero who delivers outcomes to the leader who builds teams that can deliver without you. Subscribe to Karl’s Leadership Writing. 👉 Who is Karl Pister? 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn. 👉 Have access to leadership materials that will level up your game. 👉 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.

    41 min
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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.

Information

  • Creator
    Karl Pister
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    179
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Healthcare Leadership Excellence
  • Show Website
    Healthcare Leadership Excellence