Author Archives - Chris LaVictoire Mahai

Better, more interesting answers are out there! (On curiosity)

This is the first in a series focused on the characteristics that, in combination, allow rare BOLD leaders to accomplish what others struggle to do: drive innovation and transformative change. In other words – they move their organizations forward beyond whatever exists today into exciting opportunities. They do this effectively, bringing others with them, achieving…

BOLD Constrained. BOLD Released.

“They hired me because I’m bold. They are afraid of me because I’m bold.” A recent conversation with an amazing heath care leader started with that quote. It encapsulated what I’ve heard recently in a collection of BOLD interviews. And it brought back a theme I’ve heard over the past several years with many BOLD…

“I think you need to go fly”: An Interview with Ben Carter

Benjamin Carter, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Trinity Health, was a speaker at a recent Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) conference that I attended. I was looking forward to meeting him because a colleague, Mary Kay Plona, spoke so highly of him and the influence he had been in her career…

Ferociously Curious: An Interview with Coreen Dicus-Johnson

We were barely into our conversation about BOLD leadership when Coreen Dicus-Johnson, President and CEO of Network Health, headquartered in Menasha, Wisconsin, mentioned that her staff has told her she is “ferociously curious.” Curiosity, along with confidence, empathy and trust are the core characteristics of BOLD leaders who are capable of driving transformative change. When…

Wow. That’s going to work! An Interview with Rick Dow

Any conversation with Rick Dow is a fast drive through seemingly unrelated stories that all come back to some key notions that he has – and that I think he is honestly not aware of until you ask a couple questions. I met Rick many years ago when we served on a nonprofit board together….

Personal Tragedy into Positive Action: An interview with Julie Smith

Dr. Julie M Smith was the co-founder of CLG, Inc., which she describes as “the world’s premiere behavior-based strategy execution firm.” She and her colleagues have reason to claim that position having worked with many in the Fortune 500, at all levels of organizations, all around the world. As we were talking, Julie described the…

Good Balance of Humble and Assertive: An Interview with Tyler Wilson

I met Tyler through a colleague, Tamara Cull, who worked with him at Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and saw his quiet boldness in action. When asked why she recommended him as a BOLD candidate, she said, “Tyler and I both worked on the CHI National Population Health team helping our 100 markets across the country…

Can an introvert be a BOLD leader? An Interview with Yvonne Scott

Yvonne Scott is such a natural introvert, her father, upon her college graduation and learning of her interest in applying for an audit position, said to her, “You know, Yvonne, if you’re going to be an auditor, you’re going to have to talk to people!” Thus began her journey to become, as she describes herself,…

Cold Calling: An Interview with Joyce Cacho

An email arrived in my inbox one day from Joyce Cacho. I didn’t know Joyce. She introduced herself as a member of Women Corporate Directors, where she found my name in the national directory. Coming to Minnesota for a Land O’Lakes board meeting, she was reaching out to try to connect with a few new…

My money is on Lee: An Interview with Lee Jones

“Lee Jones is AMAZING, she really is!” said one of her largest private equity shareholders and board members, Erwin Kelen. I met Erwin many years ago when we served together on a nonprofit board. He is a renaissance man if there ever was one. He is extremely smart, passionate, and when he decides to put…