Published in Modern Halthcare
By Sherrie Barch and Bob Clarke
2020 knocked us off balance. Disconnected from each other, we were severed from routines and forced to pay attention to humanity in a new way. We have had to regrow bonds of connectivity to ourselves and each other in ways that we could never have imagined.
We must continue to cultivate this renewed commitment to human basics. As leaders, we must push our organizations to nurture the systemic regrowth that is needed to transform and keep diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at the forefront. Many of us still struggle with how and where to go from here.
Change happens in moments. In a moment, you make a commitment. In a moment, you make a decision. A decision to speak up. A decision to raise your hand. In a moment, you take action. And change cannot happen without action.
Current and past honorees of the Top 25 Women and Top 25 Minority Leaders in Healthcare create the moments for change to happen. They create space to put their undeniable humanness out there, to speak up and to share their stories and experiences one moment at a time.
They have reached out and pulled others up. The volumes of moments in which they took action have had a lasting, positive impact that reverberates through the lives they have touched.
Recognizing diverse leaders serves a crucial role in underscoring the need for more purposeful and intentional diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts and actions that sustain forward momentum. This is why, for more than a decade, we have committed to supporting the outstanding leaders honored through the Top 25 Women and Minority Leaders in Healthcare programs.
Let the hundreds of leaders who have achieved this honor be your inspiration. Show them their tireless efforts have not been in vain. Seek out the moments they create. Step up and push your undeniable humanness forward.
Take this moment to dedicate yourself to action. Commit to being curious. Commit to calling out bad behavior. Then, commit to creating space for the uncomfortable conversations that will follow. Commit to taking action. Cultivate change.
Now is the moment.
