So6 Executive Presence EP 27: Navigating the Heartbeat of Change, with Patrick L Green CEO UF Health Jacksonville

Discover the transformative power of servant leadership in healthcare as Patrick Green, CEO of UF Health Jacksonville, joins me, Grant McGaugh, to share insights that could reshape your understanding of what it means to lead. Listen as Patrick divulges the pivotal moments that fueled his passion for healthcare and service to vulnerable communities, and learn how he embeds empathy and innovation into the fabric of his organization. This episode promises an enlightening blend of personal anecdotes and professional wisdom, revealing the ethos that drives UF Health Jacksonville’s growth and the human touch that remains essential in the world of health.

Delving into the heart of healthcare, Patrick and I discuss the critical role of mentorship and career development with a nod to the National Association of Health Service Executives. As UF Health Jacksonville soars with new technological frontiers and expansion projects, we examine the balance between cutting-edge innovation and the timeless value of compassionate care. Whether you're an aspiring healthcare executive or intrigued by the evolving dynamics of medical leadership, this conversation offers a riveting look into the challenges and triumphs of steering a major healthcare institution toward excellence.

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest marketing trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates from us, be sure to follow us at 5starbdm.com. See you next time on Follow The Brand!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to another episode of Follow the Brand. I am your host, grant McGaw, ceo of 5-Star BDM, a 5-Star Personal Branding and Business Development Company. I want to take you on a journey that takes another deep dive into the world of personal branding and business development, using compelling personal story, business conversations and tips to improve your personal brand. By listening to the Follow the Brand podcast series, you will be able to differentiate yourself from the competition and allow you to build trust with prospective clients and employers. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make it one that will set you apart, build trust and reflect who you are Developing. Your 5-Star Personal Brand is a great way to demonstrate your skills and knowledge. If you have any questions for me or my guests, please email me at grantmcgauh at 5-Star BDM. Be for brand, be for development and for masterscom. Now let's begin with our next 5-Star episode on Follow the Brand. What does it take to navigate time-plugged ties of moderate health care leadership? Today, on the Follow the Brand podcast, we will uncover the answers. I'm Grant McGaw, ceo of 5-Star BDM, and we hope you build a 5-Star brand that people will follow, and it is my privilege to welcome a Titan of the Health Care Industry, patrick Gale Green, ceo of UF Health, jacksonville.

Speaker 1: 1:54

Patrick stands at the forefront of health care innovation, stewarding a team of thousands through the evolving challenges of moderate medicine. Under his leadership, uf Health has and will see groundbreaking advances, from expanding emergency services to integrating cutting-edge technology in patient care. Health care is not just about healing bodies, it is about enriching communities, says Patrick Green, a sentiment that has guided his journey from humble beginnings to the clinical of health care administration. This story is not just one of ascension but of transformation, a narrative that reshapes our understanding of what it needs to lead. But what truly sets Patrick apart, it's his unyielding commitment to serving leadership, a philosophy placing the well-being of staff and patients at the heart of every decision. This approach has not only elevated patient care at UF Health, but has also fostered a culture of empathy and innovation. Today we dwell into Patrick's personal and professional milestone how his upbringing shaped my early exposure to health challenges within his own family, united a lifelong passion for serving vulnerable communities. We'll explore his strategies for continuous learning, keeping abreast of health care's rapid evolution, and his vision for nurturing future leaders in health care. Join us as we journey through the life of a leader who's not just shaping health care but transforming life. This is more than a chronicle of professional triumph. It's an insight into the soul of health care leadership.

Speaker 1: 4:05

Let us welcome Patrick L Green to the Follow Brand Podcast, where we are building a five-star brand that you can follow. Welcome everybody to the Follow Brand Podcast. We are going to take it all the way up to Jacksonville, florida. You know I'm in South Florida. I love, love my people in North Florida. The first time I went up there, I was, at the time, president of the National Association of Health Services Executives in Florida. At the time it was South Florida, but when I went to Jacksonville, I saw a giant need because they were not represented at that time at a chapter level. And then the vibrancy and the people that were there. They welcomed me in so much that we started to look at this from a statewide perspective and from that time this is back in 2018, 2019. Here we are in 2023. We have a vibrant community that includes Jacksonville, it includes the University of Florida, health and today we have the CEO on our podcast to talk about things, about executive presence. So, patrick Green, would you like to introduce yourself?

Speaker 2: 5:15

Good morning, grant. Thank you, and I'm excited to be with you today. As you said, I'm privileged to serve as the CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and I've been in the organization for about five months and Northeast Florida has been phenomenal and I look forward to spending time with you today and talking about executive presence as well as what we are doing to serve this great community.

Speaker 1: 5:41

Excellent. Well, so let's jump right in. So you're new to the community. I believe You're coming from other locations. You've had a wealth of experiences and successes. Tell us a little bit about the Patrick Green story.

Speaker 2: 5:56

Well, you know my story is one that has been very fortunate to work in several different markets, from Seattle Washington to Denver, to Connecticut and now in Jacksonville, florida.

Speaker 2: 6:12

I've had the opportunity to serve large academic health systems to private knife or profit health systems, but wasn't has. What hasn't changed, grant, is the focus on the people, and I pride myself on being a servant leader and focusing on the people. A lot of times when you look at the table of organization, people see the CEO on that top of that chart right, which I'm blessed and privileged to have that role. But I I like to turn the organization chart upside down. Where I'm serving the people of the organization, I I believe my role is to report to 5000 folks that work for you have helped Jacksonville and then you spread that out into the community. So so my story is one of accountability, putting people first, building strong position relationships and making sure that our organization is effective and stable and successful so we can serve our community and support our staff to be successful and achieve their personal and professional goals as well.

Speaker 1: 7:23

And I love the mindset that. That shows me your viewpoint, your philosophy, and we're talking about executive presence today. You exude that. We just have an app. We're an opportunity to meet each other, I think for the first time here at the in a HSE executive leadership forum. You were there with about three or four other executives around the state and what stood out for me when talking to you was your, your, your mannerism and the relaxed state that I can see that you're in. It shows me that you are bookshelf of knowledge, but you really understand the health care market and you truly understand individuals, specifically those that were on in that particular form that they're looking to take that next step forward. They're either in a managerial role or maybe they're an executive director, but they want to understand the lens from the CEO perspective of how you see things and how you interact with the staff to get the results that you're looking for. Can you give us a little bit more insight in those areas?

Speaker 2: 8:41

Absolutely, and I think, building off of what I said earlier, it starts with the people, and you know, I often say we're the people business. We're not making out all bills or Silicon Valley, you know, in the tech world, even though we leverage technology to advance the care we provide, but we're in the people business, and so my job is to put the people first absolutely struck with our patients but also caring for the people who care for our patients, if you will.

Speaker 2: 9:13

So so my what I try to do every opportunity is get to know the people, ask and give them the opportunity to know me, how I think, how I make decisions, make clarity about where we're going and focusing on the why, making sure I understand what they need to be successful, and then organize a team and a strategy to make sure that everyone knows that we're not going to settle and we're going to make sure that we are providing the best possible care while creating a culture of excellence and a purpose driven organization and really really having a believability mindset that if we put our mind to it and we provide the strategy, we provide the resources, there's no reason why we can't achieve 100% of our goals, and that's that's a high, high bar. But I believe in really trying to be a category one organization and that's how we approach that every single day. Grant.

Speaker 1: 10:11

Yeah, well, you, I know you've got your criteria when you're building out your team right. They're going to be on board with your vision and the vision of the health system. Now this is two full question. But my mic, my curiosity, is up, because you, you know, you were honored by the NAACP. You're, you have, you've got a nice story background. Why would it you choose Jacksonville as your next step in your career trajectory and where do you see that going from from here?

Speaker 2: 10:45

Well.

Speaker 2: 10:45

I tell you you know Jacksonville you have. Jacksonville is a special place and I've watched it from afar for many years Looking at some of my predecessors and they are a strong brand in the region and when I got the call it was something that was very intriguing. And then when I got the opportunity to meet the people of you have helped Jacksonville our board, our president of our health system and the you have helped Jacksonville team it was very compelling and the opportunity to grow. You have health and the commitment to growing Jacksonville. From Southeast Georgia you have helped Jacksonville. From Southeast Georgia, working with our colleagues in Gainesville as well as St Johns County as well. In the community.

Speaker 2: 11:32

The community is extraordinarily supportive of our organization because we are a safety net organization and we are one of the most valuable assets in the city of Jacksonville and having the opportunity to lead this organization and craft the future of you have helped Jacksonville. It was something that I had to jump on. So we have a lot of work to do here. So my mindset is really focusing on Continue to build off of the rich history of you have helped Jacksonville and making sure we are in a position to be the most trusted healthcare provider in this region. So I would say the people, the strategy, our board, our organization and what we are playing to do to serve this community. I'm excited to be here.

Speaker 1: 12:27

Well, you've got major resources in the community and the people there at UF Health. I want to help us understand because and you were both part of the same organization with the and a HSE, the National Association of Health Service executives I've been in A member seven plus years. You probably remember even longer there's a reason why you are part of that organization. What is the value that you believe you're you gain from it? And then the value that you bring to others to help them on their career trajectory.

Speaker 2: 13:09

It's a great question In a HSE is an important organization. It's been an important organization to my career and I'm able to be in this role because of others my mentors and friends and colleagues who Given me advice and open doors for me to be in this role, to get experiences, to get exposure to Forward thinking, executive strategies, for thinking, leadership opportunities. So I personally feel like it's I have an obligation to To do the same by opening doors to young black health care executives To have the opportunity to advance their career and in HSE in HSE is as paramount and a strong partner in that. So I've been a member for a long time and I'm deeply committed to that organization. But but it is really about developing the future leaders of health care.

Speaker 2: 14:13

So so there's continued education, as you know, there's networking, but but the contacts there's able you're, I'm able to interact with Some of the best and the brightest across the country and being able to reach out to some of the most formidable leaders, past and present, is extremely valuable to my career.

Speaker 2: 14:35

So I recall back when I was being mentored by A senior executive, when I was earlier in my career, and I was getting so much rich advice and I asked the question what can I do to repay you because how they've helped me, you know, not make as many mistakes as I would, or help me approach a conversation differently, help me to think about executive presence, to to point to this conversation. And they said one thing. They said when you get in the position like I am, when I know you will one day Open the doors just like we did for you, and that is something that I take seriously and I wake up every day how I can develop other leaders so they can be in a position to have an opportunity like I have and have an impact on the community that we serve.

Speaker 1: 15:33

Awesome and that's great, that's golden. I want to do something a little bit off script, as they say. I want you to talk to me as if I were a young executive. I've got all my accolades, I got my credentials, I probably got my first assignment in a health care system. I'm in the C suite office, but I obviously need some, some mentoring. I need need that, and I don't understand when I don't understand, right, because I haven't had the experience. If you would take a few minutes to console me, in a certain way, it's like look, these are the things you really need to concentrate on First as a priority as you start to make that track forward Great question.

Speaker 2: 16:22

I always start with your purpose. You have to know your own purpose and what is your passion and make sure the organization you're working for aligned with those, your purpose and your personal values.

Speaker 2: 16:37

That's, that's first, and foremost, what is your purpose in making sure you're not just coming here just for a job. You really have to care and you got to focus on doing some of the intangibles. That's, that's first and foremost. You also have to listen, and we talk about, you know, listening sessions around the purpose in the organization. But listen with your heart, because we are, like I said, we are in the business of caring, we're in the business of service and you have to start there. Where is your heart? What are you, what are your, what's your person and your purpose and your passion. And then, once you establish what your purpose is and you let that be your compass.

Speaker 2: 17:25

It starts with relationships, specifically around our position relationships. You're in healthcare business. The patients typically don't really care who the CEO is. They want to know. They care about the physicians and the nurses and the staff who deliver the care. As an executive, your job is to support those people. Make sure you have a lens on strong position relationships. That's first and foremost. Take the initiative, raise your hand to take on extra assignments, to help out things outside of your typical scope. Don't be afraid to take risks. But last and certainly not least, you have to have integrity in everything that you do, establishing trust and credibility. That's what I would tell you on the executive grant.

Speaker 1: 18:22

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Speaker 1: 19:24

I love that. I love that we talked a little bit earlier about the things you cannot learn from just former education, getting certain diplomas, that type of thing. When you're in the field, you're on the field, you're in the system you're working in and you come across things. You need situational awareness, you need to understand emotional intelligence. You just said something so important understanding the physician relationship and understanding the lens of the patient and the community, because they are community before they become patient. And what is the focus? What is the focus? What have you used in your career that has helped you to stay on top of these things like emotional intelligence, like situational awareness and the perspectives of the community.

Speaker 2: 20:22

Well, you have to continue to learn and having a learning mindset is extremely important and organizations like NAHSE is a great opportunity for that. Ache as well, tapping into some of those resources. But one of the things that I've been fortunate to have in the organizations that I've been blessed to lead those strong commitment to leadership development and I've always sought out those opportunities, always been a reader and seeking contemporary leadership books that focus on some of the fundamentals or the leadership attributes, leadership success factors like emotional intelligence, like powerful conversations, like leading and listening and having strong teams. So having a learning mindset is extremely important. You have to take the initiative on that as well. But tapping into some of the organizations that we talked about, some of our professional societies, is extremely important.

Speaker 2: 21:36

But also you have to learn how to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions. No one knows it all, but I ask questions and I also go into the organization and talk to the people who actually in the trenches doing the work. They will tell you what you need to know about the organization. They will tell you what they see as opportunities. They'll tell you opportunities, tell you what's working well To use all that and then, with your experience, that will hopefully guide you to a continuous learning and you'll be able to advance.

Speaker 1: 22:17

I see you've done that. You have definitely advanced. You've taken on the mantle there in Jacksonville. As we talk now we're going to talk to the community. There's things that are going on, probably at the healthcare system that we're not aware of, that you might want to let us know about. So we like, hey, this is great, maybe we want to get involved. You always want to get involved with the healthcare system. Why are you healthy? How about that? So what are some things that are going on at UF? How do you like to let us know about?

Speaker 2: 22:47

Well, we are a growing organization. We are in the process of renovating our emergency department and trauma center stay the art. So we're looking to improve our facilities and renovate and expand so we can care for more patients in a more advanced, technologically sound facility. So we're excited about that. Also, in our North Campus, which is just 10 miles north of our downtown campus, we are adding a new 124 bed inpatient tower. We're expanding our operating rooms. Then, soon after that, we're going to be continue to expand that campus.

Speaker 2: 23:31

The demand for our services are at all time high. In addition to that grant, we are looking at expanding our ambulatory footprint. We were fortunate to open three new urgent care and freestanding emergency departments earlier in the spring of 23. We are now looking at further expansion to serve our growing community. Our health system recently brought in St John's County, uf Health, flagler and St Augustine. We're partnering with them to make sure that our UF Health brand continues to deliver the quality of care that people are accustomed to. So we have a lot going on. It's about growth, it's about our people and continue to strengthen and improve the health of the region of Jacksonville and beyond. Man, that sounds wonderful.

Speaker 1: 24:26

Now I want to ask you because I'm a technologist right, I'm in information technology, you've been there for 25 years Are you leveraging digital technology or digital transfer? Are doing something different to expand and enable healthcare delivery from a different lens, to offset some of the challenges I've heard from others in the labor shortage or in finance, trying to lessen that gap between revenue management? Is anything like that also taking place at your facilities?

Speaker 2: 25:00

Well, we're fortunate to be part of a leading academic health system, so we're always innovating and learning and discovering new treatments, and technology is right there. So we're absolutely leveraging artificial intelligence, telemedicine, to make sure that we're providing the most efficient care and giving our clinicians and our staff the most advanced technology, from equipment to digital appointments. So we're actually leveraging all of that and we're going to continue to advance that to better our organization.

Speaker 1: 25:41

Man, this is wonderful. I'm going to switch gears just a little bit because I'm intrigued by your history. I want to talk to me about where you grew up and what was that pivotal change in your life in which you chose healthcare as your path forward. Well, that's a great question.

Speaker 2: 26:06

I grew up in Oklahoma and from humble beginnings my family didn't have a lot of resources and unfortunately that led to a lot of health problems early in my family and I didn't know I wanted to go in healthcare early in my career. I went early in my educational preparation, but I knew that I wanted to help people and I went to undergraduate school to be a physical therapist and that was born out of my affinity for sports and sports training.

Speaker 2: 26:44

I thought I was going to be an athletic trainer and I got to undergrad and I started to learn about the business of healthcare, and that was even more intriguing because I was always pretty good at math, so got to do some business courses and I did the research on what a career director of a healthcare executive could be, and I also interacted with a CEO that was a member of the NEHSE organization and he shared with me about his experiences, and I never looked back. But it really started with how can I help people, how can I improve the lives of others, and particularly drawn to safety and organizations, because a lot of the people that we serve look like and face the same challenges of my family when I was growing up, and so I've always wanted to dedicate my time and talent to helping others, particularly the most vulnerable. So that led me to healthcare, and I've been fortunate to work with some great organizations that align with my values and my passion for helping the most vulnerable.

Speaker 1: 28:01

Man. I love that. I can see that. That was very enlightening and I see the vision.

Speaker 1: 28:06

You understand who's on the other side of the ball. You understand the situations that they're dealing with. We talk about the high end situation, awareness, emotions and talent. When you're dealing with lack of resources and the life is on the line, the outcome is right there. What do you do? Who do you turn to?

Speaker 1: 28:29

So when you can turn to someone that has empathy, that understands and is doing what they can to help you, specially from a healthcare perspective, is high on the list of things that you can do to leave a lasting legacy as you actually help somebody. Because I know when you turn around and you look back, as you go back to where you grew up in Oklahoma, and they ask you and you have that grandmother that asks you Patrick, what did you do to help somebody? You know you got a story to tell. I like that. I like that. That's very, very important. Before I leave you, I want to just give the mic to you. Is there anything that you truly you want to make sure that you get out and speak to? Remember, we have a wealth of thousands of healthcare executives that are out here, c-suite executives, information technologies that are interested in healthcare. Just what would you want to leave us with as we move forward?

Speaker 2: 29:28

Well, grant, first I want to thank you for your service and communicating what we're all doing, giving me the opportunity to talk to you this morning, and I want to continue to encourage you to do just that. I would tell the for those that are listening in the healthcare field look to make a difference and look around and make sure you're having an impact on those you serve. Take the initiative, go outside the four walls of your organization. Don't just wait until they get sick and they need us. Go out and see what you can do to learn about the organization and be a strong partner to the community and the people in the community. And because we are a service organization all healthcare we have a you see, mission, vision, values on all of our walls. Ask yourself and challenge yourself and your team. And so what are we doing to advance that mission?

Speaker 2: 30:27

outside the four walls of our organization and also don't. Always make sure that you're putting the people first and that includes starts with the patients and the people who serve the patients, and I'm confident that you'll continue to make a difference in our field.

Speaker 1: 30:46

I truly believe that we're going into 2024. We're going to have a great year. I am. I can't wait. You've got invited the NAHSE forward. I got invited to Jacksonville next year. We're going to look forward to having having an event there and really enjoying the community, because the hospitality there was fantastic.

Speaker 2: 31:08

Yeah, it's a great city and we look forward to to welcoming you and I look forward to to hosting and sharing knowledge and meeting a lot of strong and high functioning executives as we advance this, this community field, healthcare field, together.

Speaker 1: 31:26

Excellent, excellent. Well, this has been great. I encourage everybody in the UF Jacksonville family making the list into all the episodes on follow the brand at five story BDM, that is, b for brand, d for development informationcom and for Patrick. Where's the best way to reach you?

Speaker 2: 31:44

You can reach me at Patrickgreen at UF healthjax. Actually, let me rephrase that Patrickgreen at Jaxufledu.

Speaker 1: 32:01

Excellent, excellent, excellent. This has been wonderful, and happy new year to you and your family.

Speaker 2: 32:07

Thank you, grant, and thank you for all you do. Happy new year, appreciate it.