Building Leadership Resiliency: Insights from the Council Executive Forum Pilot
The Nashville Health Care Council recently launched the Council Executive Forum, a new program designed to bring together senior leaders from across member organizations for open dialogue, shared challenges, and practical insights.
The inaugural forum explored the theme of “Leadership Resiliency”—what it means to lead effectively in today’s rapidly evolving business environment, and how executives can better equip themselves, their teams, and their organizations to navigate disruption and lead forward.
We were honored to have Cindy Baier, former CEO of Brookdale Senior Living, serve as Chair of the inaugural cohort. Known for her candor and wisdom in guiding organizations through uncertainty, Cindy provided invaluable perspective throughout the pilot experience.
Designed to be interactive, practical, and real, the Forum created a space for senior leaders to engage in open peer dialogue—not just to reflect, but to walk away with actionable insights to apply in their work.
Below are several key takeaways from Cindy’s perspective and the pilot cohort:
1. Resilience is built through adversity
Every leader faces challenging times, but those moments often yield the greatest growth. Tough times don’t last—but tough people do. Strength and perspective are earned through experience and perseverance.
2. Connection strengthens resilience
The Nashville Health Care Council’s ability to build relationships across industry sub-sectors helps leaders gain new perspectives, uncover better solutions, and approach challenges with greater insight and confidence.
3. Invest in what energizes you
Health care leaders are often driven by a desire to make a difference. To sustain that purpose, it’s vital to invest in the people, practices, and priorities that bring energy and renewal. When leaders strengthen themselves, they’re better equipped to lead others.
“Leaders are often attracted to health care because they want to make a difference. To go the distance, it is important to invest in the things that bring you energy and build resilience. When you invest in yourself first, it is easier to help others.” – Cindy Baier, former CEO of Brookdale Senior Living
4. Focus on what truly matters
Amid constant change, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by competing priorities. The most effective leaders focus on mission-critical work—eliminating tasks that don’t create value for themselves, their teams, or their organizations.
“It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the pace of change, organizational bureaucracy or a shifting landscape. To thrive, focus on your mission and eliminate things that don’t create value for you or your company.” – Cindy Baier, former CEO of Brookdale Senior Living
5. Embrace shifting priorities
Change is inevitable. Successful leaders begin each day by identifying the projects that will have the greatest impact and by making intentional decisions about what can be delayed or removed. Clarity and focus prevent burnout and sustain long-term success.
“It isn’t the busiest people who make the biggest impact. Successful leaders know how to distinguish between the urgent but unimportant and the truly important to make the biggest impact without burning out themselves and their teams.” – Cindy Baier, former CEO of Brookdale Senior Living
Through the pilot, participants gained practical strategies to lead through uncertainty, strengthen team resilience, and thrive in a rapidly changing health care landscape.
The Council Executive Forum will continue to evolve as a cornerstone of our leadership development portfolio. By bringing together Nashville’s next generation of industry leaders with the wisdom and experience of today’s executives, the Forum created a powerful dialogue on strengthening both personal and organizational resilience.
About the Nashville Health Care Council
The Nashville Health Care Council strengthens and elevates Nashville as The Healthcare City. With a $68 billion economic impact and 333,000 jobs locally, Nashville’s healthcare ecosystem is a world-class healthcare hub. Founded in 1995, the Council serves as the common ground for the city’s vibrant healthcare cluster. The Council offers engagement opportunities where the industry’s most influential executives come together to exchange ideas, share solutions, build businesses and grow leaders.
