After growing a national healthcare staffing firm and completing its successful acquisition, I stepped down for a change of pace and to consider my options, which were many and varied. I was able to dive into several interesting new endeavors and projects as a consultant and board member. Once, I even considered attending seminary to become a pastor. Instead, I joined Curative as CEO. Here’s why.
I’m most fulfilled in roles where I’m challenged to grow something, rather than maintain the status quo with a company that’s already well-established. I thrive when I can make a positive, lasting impact on people’s lives.
After serving on five boards and consulting with numerous companies, I was approached by Nate, an industry leader in healthcare technology with Doximity who was seeking to purchase a healthcare recruiting and staffing company. We conducted a national search and performed diligence on several firms, and then came across THMED.
While it felt like a great fit for Doximity, I wasn’t particularly interested in another full-time, day-to-day leadership role for a physician staffing firm. Ultimately there were several aspects of the CEO opportunity with Curative that drew me to this role.
Trust is one of those things that everyone talks about, while few people actually do what’s needed to earn it. The experience you have at work is only as good as your immediate supervisor - when evaluating any new career opportunity, don’t worry about the company or the job so much as who your boss is. Before officially joining Curative, I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to get to know and work with my (now current) boss, which helped immensely with getting comfortable with the idea of taking on this role. While working with the founders and board, I witnessed their approach to leadership which entailed putting people first, and seeking business solutions that have a positive impact. Their “people first” approach was an absolute “must-have” to motivate me to jump back into full-time corporate leadership. We formed a strong foundation of mutual trust that I believe carries over throughout the Curative team.
Every experienced leader knows a company needs a true differentiator in the industry. What’s the “moat” that separates us from the competition? It was immediately clear to me that Curative has a distinct advantage in its technology, talent, and resources.
In addition to our network and talent, we have our own proprietary internal team of tech engineers, coders, and analysts that are dedicated to our company. We can leverage this Silicon Valley caliber of high-tech talent in a highly effective way. No other healthcare staffing company has this level of technological expertise dedicated to building proprietary tools that enable our associates to be the most proficient in the industry.
Growth drives me, as I mentioned. It’s fun and energizing to grow something – the momentum, the energy, the culture - it’s palatable. I took a three-and-a-half-year break from operating a business as a full-time employee. During that time as a consultant and board member, I got to “see under the hood” of many companies. I observed their acquisitions, investments, and the results of those deals. I learned what’s working, what’s not, and was able to reflect upon what I would do differently in various situations and circumstances. I was excited to apply that new knowledge to the next venture.
Ever since I can remember, probably since I was 5 years old, I’ve been on a team. I played sports growing up, and throughout college. I played college baseball and coached college baseball.
As a consultant, after stepping down from my previous CEO role, that was the first time in 40+ years that I wasn’t on a team, and I missed it. Not only did I miss winning with a team, I kind of missed losing with a team – (and I’m a terrible loser!)
The opportunity to have a sense of team again was very compelling to me. It’s been incredibly humbling and rewarding – to see the past teammates and former colleagues who have joined us for this journey… people who’ve believed in me, my philosophy, and my leadership. There’s no bigger compliment or testament – and no greater pressure – than the responsibility to execute with and for this team of people who also believe in what we’re doing at Curative.