A quiet truth runs beneath every meaningful career moment in healthcare: Relationships—not transactions—move us forward. I was reminded of this recently when a physician leader reached out to me on LinkedIn in response to uLeadership’s “BIG announcement” about joining Healthcare Plus Solutions Group®. Turns out, we connected on a Zoom call, no agenda at all, just an engaging and inspiring conversation. Later, I mentioned our call to a colleague who knows this physician, Dr. Stephen Williams, and she said, “That’s Stephen’s ‘superpower.’” In other words, he reaches out. Boldly. Generously. Consistently.
Stephen has connected with leaders at major academic centers, senior executives, and clinicians far outside his own circle often just by saying, “I loved what you shared. Could we talk?” Those conversations have led to mentorships, opportunities, and a professional network grounded in genuine curiosity rather than personal gain.
His story hit home because my own journey has looked much the same. I reached out to Quint Studer long before we ever collaborated, and that first conversation eventually led to a partnership and an acquisition. I reached out to the leading nursing theorist Jean Watson, PhD, RN, who graciously wrote the foreword to not one but two of our books. Most recently, I cold messaged a nurse entrepreneur I’d read about in Nurse Leader because her work resonated so strongly with mine. We’re meeting soon, and I have no agenda except to learn from a kindred spirit.
These moments remind me that too many of us wait passively for connection. Younger colleagues, especially, often accumulate LinkedIn contacts without ever building actual relationships—“5,000 connections and no friends.” But in healthcare leadership, relationships are the work. They are how we learn, grow, mentor, and innovate.
Meaningful relationships are the heart of human-centered leadership. If you think about it, initiating connection is a form of self-care, which is the first part of our model. But (here’s the great news) it also benefits the other person. We often hesitate to reach out because we don’t want to be a bother—what if they are too busy? The truth is, people love to help. Connecting fills their cup as much as it does yours.
So how do we get better at reaching out? A few tips:
- Stop waiting for others to initiate. Life rewards action, so take it.
- Don’t worry that you have to have it all figured out before you introduce yourself. The best relationships unfold organically.
- Follow up quickly. Not next month. Not someday. Today. We tend to collect contacts and never cultivate relationships. The longer you put it off, the less likely it will happen.
- Notice something meaningful and say it. Read an article? Hear a great presentation? Send a short message asking for 15 minutes to learn more.
- Drop the agenda. Reach out because you’re interested, not because you need something.
- Ask the magic question: Can you help me? Research shows every personality type responds to it—and people generally love to be asked.
- Treat connection as career infrastructure. Not an extra, not a luxury, but part of the job.
Incidentally, while I’ve mostly focused on external “connecting” here, the same dynamics apply inside the workplace. We might be reluctant to reach to a colleague or a leader (if we need coaching, for example), but we shouldn’t be. They’re typically happy to be asked, we’re grateful for their help, and the experience bonds us together.
Relationship-building is like any muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets. And remember, in a field where psychological safety, trust, and collaboration are foundational, brave connection isn’t just networking…it’s human-centered leadership in action.
