2021 Annual Meeting Startup & Practice Management Access Pass-AANA Presidential Address

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this reflective speech, the speaker shares personal and professional insights shaped by decades of experience in medicine, leadership, and life. He contrasts early career imbalance with a mature understanding of balance as a daily, weekly practice involving fragile elements like family, health, and spirit. Emphasizing gratitude, he acknowledges his wife, children, parents, colleagues, and mentors who have been foundational supports.<br /><br />He highlights his long association with the Orthopedic Learning Center (Anna), praising its meritocratic and collaborative culture, and recounts navigating leadership roles with lessons about delegation, perfection versus efficiency, and the importance of saying no. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic tested resilience, reinforcing core values, accelerating virtual collaboration, and spotlighting challenges and growth opportunities, including struggles with maintaining personal safety and adapting to new norms.<br /><br />Diversity and inclusion emerged as a critical focus, recognizing underrepresentation in orthopedic surgery and committing to ongoing efforts to foster equity through initiatives and open dialogue about bias and harassment. Leadership lessons drawn from military and personal experiences stress empathy, listening, humility, consensus-building, and continuous self-improvement.<br /><br />Ultimately, the speaker underscores that family, friends, gratitude, and meaningful relationships matter most for happiness and fulfillment. The pandemic, though difficult, offered a chance to reboot and recommit to these enduring principles.

Asset Caption

Dr. Brian Cole

Keywords

medicine leadership

work-life balance

Orthopedic Learning Center

COVID-19 pandemic impact

diversity and inclusion

leadership lessons

gratitude and relationships