The Best Advice I Ever Ignored—and Why It Changed My Career

Everyone told me I had to pick a lane—just one area of hospital operations to build my career. But I couldn’t ignore the pull toward something bigger. I wasn’t interested in just part of the picture. I wanted to lead the whole system.

Ignoring that advice wasn’t reckless—it was strategic. And it’s the reason I became the kind of leader who can connect the dots, drive change, and operate across complexity.

Sometimes, the best advice is the one you trust yourself enough not to take.