104: Critical Thinking Skills for Healthcare Executives

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Linda Henman, trusted advisor to senior leaders and nationally recognized expert in strategy, decision making, and organizational effectiveness. Linda joins the Leadership Jam Session to discuss her new book, Healthy Decisions: Critical Thinking Skills for Healthcare Executives, and shares timely insights drawn from real-world healthcare scenarios, including how leaders at systems like Mercy and the Cleveland Clinic navigated unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Linda and I dive deep into the essential role of critical thinking for healthcare leaders, particularly when navigating unexpected and unwelcome change. She breaks down how organizational culture is shaped by leaders’ decisions, and why tolerating toxic behavior is a long-term threat to team performance and reputation. Linda also shares powerful stories from her consulting work—both in healthcare and other industries—highlighting the importance of making tough calls, even when short-term results tempt leaders to look the other way. We tackle common traps such as over-analysis, reckless decision-making, and the limitations of coaching narcissistic leaders. Linda offers actionable advice for new and emerging leaders on avoiding decision pitfalls and building strong cross-functional relationships, emphasizing the value of balancing instinct and data.

Key takeaways:

• True leadership emerges in times of crisis, requiring rapid, accurate critical thinking rather than just tactical skills.
• Organizational culture is shaped at the top; leaders set the tone by the behaviors they model and what they tolerate within their teams.
• Tolerating toxic or unethical behavior—even from high performers—can erode team trust, morale, and ultimately threaten leaders’ own reputations.
• Effective leaders are able to discern when to make fast decisions and when to pause for deeper analysis, especially under pressure.
• Analysis paralysis can stifle momentum; Linda recommends that, in most arenas, leaders move forward when 80% ready to avoid missing opportunities.
• Coaching and development have their limits: Narcissistic or toxic leaders are unlikely to change, and organizations must address such issues head-on.
• Newly promoted leaders should resist the trap of “that’s how we’ve always done it,” actively seek out diverse perspectives, and build alliances across functions.
• Decision-making in healthcare—and beyond—benefits from balancing data with the instincts and experience of trusted experts, especially under uncertainty.

Whether you’re in healthcare or any field navigating change, Linda’s stories and advice provide a candid roadmap for making better decisions, shaping healthy cultures, and leading with resilience when it matters most.

Pick up Linda’s book.