Lessons in Leadership: Epic is one of the most well-run companies in the world
There is a story that Epic CEO, Judy Faulker, has talked about openly.
If you put her on stage with the CEOs of healthcare software competitors, you’ll probably notice that she’s the only woman. She, on the other hand, sees that she’s the only person with a technical background. That feels like the more significant difference.
While female CEOs might not yet be the norm in business, we’re fortunate to have worked for female CEOs from the start. We’ve had a front row seat, learning how they solve problems and what drives their success.
Highlights & learnings from witnessing high-caliber, successful leadership at Epic:
Have a clear, unwavering mission (outside of making money), and mean it.
Rally your employees by keeping your company's mission simple, clear, and repeated.
Let the mission guide all key decision-making so it becomes ingrained and second nature.
By having a clear mission, you can confidently talk about the importance of profits in the context of company stability, longevity and furthering your mission.
Focus intensely on your customers.
Build loyalty through true partnership. Hospital executives are often more committed to Epic than most Americans are to their marriages.
Make decisions looking out 10, 20, 50 years out to ensure your customer’s long term success. (Staying private gives you this luxury and avoids quarterly pressures.)
Focus on action & outcomes. Happy customers are the best marketing.
Avoid golden apples that distract from your customers.
Be a leader - decisive, confident & fearless.
Question norms.
What do you do in your business by default because “this is how businesses do it”?
Do you need budgets, or could you create processes to review and spend money on only things deemed necessary in the moment?
Does your VP need an MBA, or do you need a smart problem solver with good instincts?
Epic is one of the most well-run organizations in the world. We’ll die on that hill.
If you want to bring some of that magic into your own company, we’d boil it down to this:
