SAMUEL “BO” BARTHOLOMEW

CEO, EVIDENCECARE

THOUGHT

Leader

AN INNOVATOR OF INDUSTRY
“IN A WORLD WHERE WE SPEND WAY TOO MUCH TIME WATCHING OTHERS, THERE IS NO GREATER SUCCESS THAN FINDING AND BEING YOUR FULL AUTHENTIC SELF.”- SAMUEL “BO” BARTHOLOMEW, CEO, EVIDENCECARE

As Featured:

There is more access to information and opinions than ever before in history. With this historic access, you’d think there’d be more visibility to leaders making a difference in the world.

Instead, we have more talking heads, self-proclaimed experts, and self-promoted leaders competing for our attention over the airwaves. So where are the true leaders who lead us through the day-to-day challenges, and why are they so hard to find?

Dr. Furse of Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management once told our class that if you are reading your name in headlines then you are not getting your job done. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins said, “Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company… They are incredibly ambitious – but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.”

I’ve had the privilege to meet and learn from many “Level 5” leaders in my life. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from them that might help you become one yourself.

The gates of success are patrolled by the dragons of fear and doubt, so the first step in leading through any challenge is to identify and name your fears and doubts. We all have them, and so do the people we lead. Once they are named, then we all have a choice to make. Will I face those fears and doubts or spend my energy avoiding them?

The next lesson is that leadership is formed by serving. With the next generation graduating from great schools with huge tuition, it’s no wonder they want the best jobs and titles. But the irony is that the greatest thing we can do to become leaders is jump into any company and serve. It’s people who run companies and make them tick – even software and AI companies. There is no more valuable resource for any company than its people. Those people need to be understood, served, mentored, led, and honored for the work they do.

The last lesson is that if you want to lead people in a company, you need to clearly identify your values. If a company doesn’t know who they are, how can you expect your employees to know? Taking time to own and demonstrate values creates stability and a high integrity company (what you see is what you get). When you establish stability, you free employees to live out their values in the context of their work. Who doesn’t want to be fully themselves when they wake up every day!?

In a world where we spend way too much time watching others, there is no greater success than finding and being your full authentic self. When you combine your people and values with the innovative work you offer, a company becomes great. The fuel for this greatness is leaders who are willing to serve, live out their values, and be fully present in a world of distractions.

Be humble. Be present. Be a leader.

Samuel “Bo” Bartholomew is CEO of EvidenceCare and leads efforts to create the first ever Clinical Marketplace within the EHR for every healthcare provider to have real-time access to clinical best practices while treating patients. He serves on numerous healthcare and non-profit boards and has an extensive history leading healthcare tech and services companies after he started his healthcare career in HCA’s Executive Development program.

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