More Than One Thing

As I traveled home from the Executive Women of Color Summit in Chicago, I found myself thinking about a song that seemed to follow us throughout the conference.

"I'm Every Woman."

At first, it felt like a celebration—a familiar anthem that energized the room and brought smiles to faces across generations.

But as I reflected on the conversations I had throughout the week, I realized the song represented something deeper.

Many of the women in attendance had built extraordinary careers. They were CEOs, presidents, entrepreneurs, board members, physicians, attorneys, and executives leading organizations across industries.

Yet what impressed me most was not their titles.

It was their ability to navigate complexity.

Many had learned how to lead organizations while raising families. How to advocate for themselves while creating opportunities for others. How to be decisive and compassionate. Strategic and relational. Confident and humble.

In healthcare, I see this every day.

Leadership often requires us to be more than one thing at the same time.

One moment, we are discussing financial performance. The next, we are supporting a team member through a difficult situation. We are balancing operational priorities while strengthening physician relationships. We are driving growth while remaining focused on quality and patient care.

The most effective leaders I've encountered are rarely defined by a single skill.

They are defined by their ability to adapt.

One conversation from the summit continues to resonate with me. I asked a fellow executive what she would tell her younger self.

She paused.

Not because she lacked an answer, but because the question required reflection.

Her pause reminded me that leadership is not simply about accumulating accomplishments. It is about collecting lessons.

And perhaps one of the most important lessons is this:

We do not have to choose between the different parts of ourselves.

We can be ambitious and empathetic.

Strategic and authentic.

Strong and vulnerable.

Focused on results and deeply committed to people.

As I continue my own leadership journey, I am increasingly convinced that the leaders who make the greatest impact are those who embrace the full range of who they are rather than limiting themselves to a single definition of success.

That may be the lesson I carried home from Chicago.

Not that we have to be everything to everyone.

But that we should never feel compelled to become less of ourselves in order to lead.