Thread by @arghavan_salles

Ellen Zane, former CEO of Tufts, gave an outstanding talk this morning at #BE19. Here are some of the pearls she shared with us.

1. Risk is good. You cannot do anything really great without taking serious risk. Doesn’t mean kamikaze, but does need to be a real risk.

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2. Life is shades of gray. We often don’t have all the data we might want and it’s often not clear what is right or wrong. But we have to act responsibly and move forward. #BE19

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3. The shortest distance between two points is not a straight line. There are often obstacles along the way. We have to navigate our way around those to get to any goal.

#BE19

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4. Have fire in the belly. We have to do something we truly care and are passionate about.

#BE19

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5. Surround yourself with excellence. “People have to get over themselves.” You cannot make things better it you only work with people who are not as smart as you. Get over the ego.

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6. Consensus is good; paralysis is not. Esp in some workplaces, everyone thinks their opinion is the most important. But sometimes you can’t convince everyone and you have to just move on.

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7. You cannot be conflict-avoidant and be a leader. One more time: you cannot be conflict-avoidant and be a leader. If you want the money, the title, and the prestige, act like it.

#BE19

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8. You can tell people bad news. “It’s not popular, but it’s respected.” You have to be honest, have credibility, and repeat the message over and over again. (Note: this is about organizations, not giving bad news to patients)

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9. Do not focus on building an empire—don’t worry about how many people report to you. Work on building influence by building relationships.

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10. You may not like politics, but there’s no place that doesn’t have politics. If you don’t like it: “My answer to that is go live under a rock.”

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11. Keep the messages simple, and people will understand and follow.

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12. There’s a thin line between success and failure. People who have great success continue to do so by constantly questioning and innovating, not by basking in their success.

#BE19

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The last two speak for themselves.

Never, ever compromise the high road.

Kill ‘me with competence.

“It’s about courage and it’s about boldness bc if it were easy, anyone could do it.”

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One other point that sticks with me:

“It isn’t enough to be right...being right is nice, but get over it.”

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