Small World, Big Impact: Building Stronger Connections in Healthcare
I just returned from Becker’s Healthcare 15th Annual Meeting in Chicago. My team always jokes about how hard it is to move through a crowd there with me because I know so many people. It’s true: I was struck by how many familiar faces I saw and how many people I was able to reconnect with.
Some of this is because I’ve worked in healthcare for more than 31 years. But it’s also a reflection of my intentionality around building relationships. I believe it’s the most important skill set you can have in healthcare, and it’s a core competency for aspiring leaders. If there is anything I’ve learned, it’s that healthcare is a very small world and there probably isn’t any other profession where good relationships serve as a better energy multiplier.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the medical world tends to create tight-knit communities, starting with your medical school class and then progressing through your residency class, your fellowship class, and your board certification specialty class.
Recently I was talking to a Chief Medical Officer based in Houston whose specialty is ophthalmology. I happened to mention a retinal surgeon in Pensacola who is a friend of mine. She said, “I just spoke with him two weeks ago!” This kind of thing happens all the time.
This “small world” aspect of the medical community can be a blessing or a curse. When everyone knows you, your personal brand is crucial. And it’s shaped through the quality of your relationships.
Why Strong Relationships Matter So Much for Physician Leaders
While most physicians value their autonomy, they also realize that healthcare is a team effort. Patient care and outcomes, professional fulfillment, and organizational effectiveness all improve when teams collaborate and support each other. Here are some benefits of cultivating strong relationships with colleagues:
Strong relationships are a fantastic support system. Being a physician leader is hard, just as being a physician is hard. It’s good to have a network of other people who “get it.” Supportive peer relationships can provide empathy, camaraderie, and validation—all of which increase resilience and reduce the likelihood of burnout.
You’ll have lots of built-in mentors. As you practice medicine, you’ll not only work with peers who are at or around the same stage as you, you’ll also connect with people who are at different phases of their careers. This sets you up for ongoing learning and enables you to reach out for help and advice when you have a problem. Eventually, you can “reach back” and share the lessons you’ve learned with others.
A healthy peer network helps with professional development and career opportunities. Yes, strong credentials matter, but reputation and relationships are also major drivers for your career advancement. Other physicians in your network can make introductions that lead to opportunities like research collaborations, speaking engagements, community partnerships, and more. They can also lend support in recommending you for promotions or new roles.
Last but not least, they help you take great care of patients. Strong relationships encourage more frequent and higher-quality communication. This leads to better coordination, more effective consultations, and fewer errors. When you have a challenging case it’s good to know you can reach out to a trusted colleague who also trusts you.
How to Get in the Habit of Building Strong Relationships
In a high-pressure, often time-constrained environment, strong relationships don’t always happen by default. Building relationships is a skill—and just like any other, it can be developed and strengthened by adopting proven best practices. For example:
Get intentional about staying in touch. No one is busier than physicians, but you just have to make the time to do the outreach. Of course, conferences are good places to connect, but more casual, low-pressure settings can be even better. Invite a colleague to lunch, a coffee meet-up, or an after-hours social event. Don’t just talk about work; ask about their family, their recent vacation, and so on. Also, make an effort to keep in touch with co-residents, colleagues, or mentors who have moved on. Keep tabs on where they are and celebrate their milestones.
Approach relationships from a place of service. Start conversations with, “What can I do to help?” This might mean troubleshooting a particular problem, consulting on a case, or general skill-sharing. Always follow through with any help you agree to provide.
Pay attention to what’s going on in a colleague’s life. Approach others with curiosity. Consider where a colleague is professionally and personally (assuming they’ve shared details about their life outside of work). What might they need from you: Advice in the moment? A longer-term mentorship arrangement? Just a listening ear?
Be a safe place to land. Make sure people feel comfortable talking to you. Try to listen actively and without judgment and strive to be a trustworthy confidant. When others know they can be vulnerable about uncertainty, mistakes, or stress, it builds authentic, lasting connections.
Always be connecting people. Who do you know who might be able to help, or be helped by, this particular colleague? Make introductions and smooth the way, especially across specialties or institutions.
Make a practice of acknowledging contributions—publicly, if appropriate. This is a huge builder of goodwill. Don’t underestimate the power of recognition. Giving credit in formal settings is important, but even a quick “thanks for your input” goes a long way.
Guard your reputation and don’t burn bridges. Strive to always show respect, patience, and courtesy, especially under stress. Always be transparent and honest, and don’t gossip or undermine colleagues behind their backs. Most people will recognize and appreciate that, even if the outcome is not what they were hoping for.
Come from a place of gratitude. If you’re grateful for someone’s advice, help, or presence in your life, tell them! I find that this attracts people to you. Think of relationship building as a way to fill your cup and replenish yourself, and you’ll be amazed by how many good things come your way. Remember, it’s a very small world so a little bit of positive energy can go a long way.
Cultivating your network within the healthcare community is a win-win-win. Strong relationships with other physicians can improve the careers of all involved, boost engagement and morale, and lead to better clinical outcomes for patients. Don’t wait until you need someone’s help to contact them. Do a little something every week (or even daily) to start shoring up those connections. When you break relationship building into bite-sized actions it will become second nature…and in the long run you’ll be glad you made it a habit.
About Dan Collard:
Dan Collard is a seasoned healthcare executive with more than 31 years of experience, including operations, consulting, and technology start-ups. He cofounded Healthcare Plus Solutions Group® along with long-time colleague Quint Studer.
Dan’s background includes:
- Executive vice president and chief growth officer of TeamHealth, one of the nation’s largest hospital-based physician practices
- President of Press Ganey’s Strategic Consulting Division
- CEO of EVOQ Medical Inc., a healthcare technology start-up in Atlanta
- Thirteen years as a senior leader at Studer Group, serving organizations ranging from rural hospitals to national health systems and academic medical centers
- Health system operator within LifePoint Health
Dan has enjoyed the role of change agent within each organization he has led. In healthcare operations, Dan and his leadership teams achieved best-in-class performance across a balanced set of metrics: quality, patient experience, physician and employee engagement, volume growth, and financial performance.
Dan is the coauthor along with Quint Studer of Rewiring Excellence: Hardwired to Rewired and Rewiring Leadership in Post-Acute Healthcare: Equipping Leaders to Succeed. He is currently coauthoring with Dr. Katherine A. Meese the book Genfluence: Igniting Intergenerational Impact (ACHE Learn, Winter 2025).
