Navigating Shared Leadership Pressures

Leaders across both sectors are operating in an environment defined by scale, speed, and constant reinvention. Their organizations have grown and are increasingly interconnected – often spanning multiple states or global markets. Boards are asking CEOs to extend their tenures to stabilize transitions, even as those same leaders face intensifying demands to deliver innovation, manage costs, and guide digital transformation.

“Adaptability and agility are the most important leadership traits today,” said Christine Greybe, President of Leadership Consulting at DHR Global. “Leaders need cognitive flexibility. Can they think differently, stretch their approaches, and stay resilient when the environment keeps shifting?”

John Baker, Managing Partner and Global Life Science Practice Leader, added that leadership has moved beyond technical skill.

“The movement to digital fluency has redefined leadership,” he said. “We’ve shifted from purely scientific or operational expertise to leaders who can collaborate, communicate, and bring people along.”

Drive System-Level Thinking in Healthcare

Financial, workforce, and regulatory pressures continue to collide, creating what Peter Blau, DHR’s Managing Partner of Global Healthcare Services & Solutions, calls a “perfect storm” for health-system executives. Shrinking reimbursements, volatile insurance markets, and policy changes have forced leaders to operate with new breadth and agility.

“You can’t just be a clinical, operational, or financial leader anymore,” he said. “You need a holistic approach – and the ability to build a team that can work across all of those dimensions.”

As systems expand across multiple states, the role of the healthcare CEO increasingly resembles that of a for-profit chief executive.

Today’s CEOs must think and act at the system level – testifying before legislators, developing regulatory and workforce strategies, and guiding integration across large enterprises,” Blau said. “Healthcare remains about delivery and compassion. But no margin, no mission – the economics have to work for the mission to survive.”

Elevate Digital Fluency in Life Sciences

In life sciences, the pace of innovation offers promise and pressure.

“The fun part is there’s constant innovation,” Baker said. “The hard part is there’s constant innovation.”

Cost pressures, regulatory bottlenecks, and talent shortages are straining organizations.

“Leaders need to develop the next generation of regulatory and clinical talent,” Baker said. “The most effective ones pair experienced executives who have relationships in Washington, D.C. with younger professionals who need to learn how to navigate the system.”

He added that emotional intelligence is increasingly vital.

“Many technical leaders must learn to connect with people, not just the science,” Baker said. “They need to lead diverse teams through continuous change.”

Invest in Scalable Leadership Development

Leadership scalability depends on intentional investment in people.

“Organizations need to be deliberate about giving future leaders visibility across multiple areas,” Blau said. “That’s how you build the next generation.”

Greybe emphasizes structured development.

“It starts with a robust succession plan,” she said. “You have to be thinking several years ahead, identifying potential, giving people stretch assignments, and ensuring they get the coaching they need.”

She cites the 70-20-10 learning model – 70% challenging assignments, 20% coaching and mentoring, and 10% formal training – as a proven framework.

“Unless you support people in all three areas, it’s difficult for them to continue growing,” she said.

“The companies that invest in leadership outperform their competitors,” Greybe added. “They create environments where people can experiment, make mistakes, and build resilience.”

Redefine Leadership Models for the Future

As responsibilities expand, many organizations are reexamining the leadership structure itself.

In healthcare, for example, a dual-leader model is already visible.

“We’re seeing systems where a physician-CEO leads on clinical mission while a chief operating officer focuses on operations,” Blau said. “Given the scale and complexity of today’s systems, that approach makes sense.”

Structure, Greybe cautions, must evolve with the business. Organizations can’t treat leadership design as static, she said. The best leaders and the best boards continually assess whether their structure supports agility, speed, and growth.

Advance the Next Generation

Sustaining leadership strength requires development at every level – a concept Greybe calls democratizing development.

“You can’t limit learning to the C-suite,” she said. “You have to develop from the top down and the bottom up.”

Blau sees a clear generational shift underway. Many first-time CEOs are digitally savvy, he said. In addition, they value purpose, flexibility, and balance.

Across healthcare and life sciences, the lesson is clear: leadership scalability is now a competitive advantage. Organizations that invest in adaptable, emotionally intelligent leaders will navigate disruption effectively and define the next era of growth.