Author Archives - Chris LaVictoire Mahai

Networks Lead You to the Most Wonderful People: An Interview with Will Prest

Throughout my career I’ve made an effort to stay in touch with people I’ve worked with, enjoy, trust, and admire. Those who know me well often introduce me to new, interesting people. Such a gift! Certainly, in the BOLD leader work we’ve been exploring the last few years, connections have been critical to expanding our…

Of No Illusions: An Interview with Penny Wheeler, M.D.

Dr. Penny Wheeler skipped directly from her obstetrics/gynecology medical practice to chief clinical officer and then to president and CEO of Allina Health. Allina, just to give a few stats, employs over 29,000 people, has over $4.1 billion in annual revenues, and each year has more than 7 million care interactions. In other words, Dr….

A Tad Bit Uncomfortable: An Interview with Terri Kline

“If you are truly BOLD, everything you do is a tad bit uncomfortable. You can’t be bold if you’re not courageous and willing to be uncomfortable.” Terri Kline, President and CEO of Health Alliance Plan (HAP), made this observation about halfway through our conversation. From the beginning of our call to the end, she captured…

Maureen Spivack

The Singular Graywolf Press

Fiona McCrae, Publisher and Executive Editor at Graywolf Press, along with Jeff Shotts, Executive Editor, received the 2017 Editor’s Award from Poets & Writers. The honor usually goes to an individual, but the committee decided to give the award to Fiona and Jeff jointly “in honor of the tremendous impact they have had, individually and…

Embrace the Fog to Find the Best Ideas: An Interview with Kathryn Roberts

What do a major zoo, a state run sports commission, and a senior housing and services organization have in common? Answer: a bold leader. The same bold leader. What do a Republican governor, a Democratic governor, and an Independent governor have in common? (In this day and age, that almost sounds like the start of…

Know Thyself: An Interview with Maureen Spivack

The ancient Greek aphorism “know thyself” was on full display as we visited with the very self-aware Maureen Spivack. Maureen is one of those folks that immediately establishes instant credibility. Some of it is from her 30 plus years of investment banking experience with E & Y, Merrill Lynch, UBS, Morgan Keegan, KPMG Corporate Finance…

Alignment, Not Sameness: An Interview with Mary Brainerd

Don’t you just love those moments when someone says something so simple, so clear and therefore so brilliant, light bulbs literally go off in your head? I sure do and it happened to me in a recent conversation with Mary Brainerd, CEO of HealthPartners. HealthPartners is the largest consumer governed nonprofit health care organization in…

What is the Truth? An Interview with Jay Coughlan

Jay Coughlan – successful former Chairman and CEO of XRS Corporation, President and CEO of Lawson Software, convicted felon, husband, father, board member, speaker, coach, and now the CEO and Managing Director of TruBalanced – and I reconnected after several years for this bold leader conversation. Wait! Back up! What was that “convicted felon” part…