Success means something different to each individual, and there is no singular formula for achievement.
Some of UAB Medicine's most successful women leaders weigh in on success, and how to achieve it.
S. Dawn Bulgarella, MSHA, CPA
Senior Associate Dean
Administration and Finance
A major component of being successful is about willingness to work well as a member of a team. Sometimes you are the team leader and other times you are not. Be open to learning new things and periodically working outside of your comfort zone.
Cheri L. Canon, M.D.
Professor and Witten-Stanley Endowed Chair of Radiology
Discover leadership opportunities at each stage of your career. Identify sponsors to help you get there, and ignore self doubt.
Deborah Grimes, RN, JD, CHC, CPHQ
Chief Diversity Officer
UAB Health System
I believe the key to being a successful leader is having the ability to be a visionary innovative person that is effective at collaborating with others to execute! A vision that is not implemented is called day dreaming and can waste valuable time.
Jean Ann Larson, Ed.D, FACHE, LFHIMSS, FIISE, DSHS
Chief Leadership Development Officer
UAB Health System
Instead of following in someone’s footsteps, you must find your own path. Each of us have unique talents. And the world is changing so quickly that traditional career paths that worked in the past are not relevant. Work to find out what your gifts and passions are and figure out how you can apply them to what you want to do. Set stretch goals that allow you to learn but don’t be afraid to set them aside when they don’t apply or when they no longer serve you. Sheryl Sandberg once said that career paths no longer resemble ladders, they are more like jungle gyms. I can attest to this. I have an engineering degree, an MBA and doctorate in organizational change. I’ve been a process engineer, an internal consultant and a senior executive among other titles. I’ve reinvented myself at least 7 times and had the opportunity to work with large organizations and I founded my own business where I practiced in healthcare, retail and the defense industry. Through it all, the common thread is that I was able to use my passions and gifts to help people and teams work more effectively and productively together.
Talk to people you admire and ask them how they got to where they are and what they learned along the way. It is always intriguing to learn their stories.
Frances Lund, Ph.D
Charles H. McCauley Professor and Chair
Department of Microbiology
The best science requires intellectual contributions from many individuals.
If you want to be a successful scientist, learn how to build research teams and to support and salute those individuals who make up your team.
Amie McLain, M.D.
Chair & Professor
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Director, UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System
Here is something I have learned along the way with experience.
Understanding "change" and how it is recognized and managed - especially within oneself - is what gives you "staying power." I constantly remind myself, "It's never as good as it seems, but it's never as bad as it seems, either. Change is inevitable."
Patricia Pritchett
Executive VP Health Services Foundation
Senior VP UAB Health System Ambulatory
In all circumstances as a leader, be true to your core value of integrity. It is not always easy but it is vital to a culture of excellence.