The CEO Swap (ft. Gil Peri)

Gil Peri (0:00)

Often times people only tell you the good stuff. So you have to be really skilled and appropriately probing for the opportunities in areas where we're not good. You need to prioritize, but also encourage your teams to tell you their truth. And understand that the only way we can improve with an improvement culture is for people to share where their opportunities are. People may not remember what you said or what you did, but they're always gonna remember how you made them feel. Any leader realizing that how you make people feel, making sure they feel seen, making sure they feel like they belong is 80% of the battle.

SPEAKER_2 (0:34)

Welcome to DGTL Voices, where health care and life science leaders explore the real work behind transformation. This podcast is about people, leadership and the conversations that move health care forward. Now your host, Ed Marx.

Ed Marx (0:49)

Welcome to another edition of DGTL Voices. I'm with my friend, Gil Peri, CEO of Wisconsin Children's. Gil, welcome to DGTL Voices.

Gil Peri (0:57)

Thank you for having me.

Ed Marx (0:58)

This is actually the second time. It is funny. I have to confess. The first time we have 378 episodes, Gil, and we've lost the episode that you and I did together.

Gil Peri (1:10)

It was a retake. It'll be better this time.

Ed Marx (1:12)

Thank you so much for indulging me in doing this a second time. I do remember the first time was amazing. We talk a lot about basketball, so we'll have to figure out how to weave that back in. But we met, it was actually a year ago today.

And I had the honor of coming to Wisconsin Children's and I did a tour.

And I was moved. I remember, I was with probably 10 other people, some other local leaders in the community here in Milwaukee. And I remember we were crying. We saw the sacred work, I call it sacred work, that your team was doing. And it was like, we're so moved. And what you do for the children, not just in Milwaukee, but your catchment areas, much broader, is amazing. I wish we had a Gil Perry and Wisconsin children everywhere. So thanks again for your time. And you know, the most important question we asked last time is the same this time, and that's songs on your playlist. Like what kind of music do you like to listen to?

Gil Peri (2:01)

A little bit of everything. So on the way here, it was Fleetwood Mac. Later, it's going to be probably a little bit of Jay-Z and Rihanna, but depending on the mood, I have a little bit of everything.

Ed Marx (2:11)

Yeah, no, I love that. It's good to have a mix. What about life message and mantra? Are there words that you sort of live by, that sort of guide you?

Gil Peri (2:19)

Yeah, I have a big passion for Maya Angelou, who really emphasized a big part of my leadership style, which is that people may not remember what you said or what you did, but they're always going to remember how you made them feel. And I think especially in health care, but any leader, realizing that how you make people feel, making sure they feel seen, making sure they feel like they belong, it's 80% of the battle, 20% will figure out. And so I've tried to do that everywhere I've been.

Ed Marx (2:49)

Yeah. And I've seen some of it like on LinkedIn. I know that you spend time rounding and spend time with your teams and all aspects of the hospital. I remember when we were all starting out in our health care careers, and to think that the CEO, let alone a manager or director, comes and engages with you, makes you feel special.

Gil Peri (3:07)

And yeah, it's that. And I do this thing called a CEO swap. And literally, I just did it last week. And I got to be the manager of 10 West, which is one of our floors. And she got to run the health system. The only thing she couldn't do is sell the place, but otherwise it was hers. And the opportunity to literally feel, not just typical rounding, but in her shoes. I got to see an angle that I never got to see. And hopefully she saw the same from my shoes. Every single time, I am amazed by how much team work it takes to do health care. Literally, that's a through line. I've done this now 15 times since I've been here, never miss a month. It's one of those things that you realize this concept of one team, it's not just a phrase, it's how we save lives.