Sandra E. Peterson

“Anyone who ends up being a leader of a large complicated organization, whether you're a male or a female, you're working an immense amount of hours, and you can't do everything. You can't have complete work/life balance.”

“I always remind my team to take a step back and ask themselves, 'Why are we doing this?' For us, 100% of the time, it is to better serve our patients, consumers, and customers. This is a great question to come back to when your team is losing focus; it reduces stress and mobilizes people to get excited about the collective possibility.”

“It's hard not to identify with some of what Hillary Clinton is up against.”

“Agility is fundamental to leading a team through times of change.”

“The people inside the company, generally two to three levels down, they know best what's wrong and how to fix it. It's just that their voices aren't being heard. I listen for words, tonality, and language.”

“The reality is that unless you understand the regulatory environment and payment structure, you can't revolutionize it. I think most tech companies and startups have come to this realization: that you have to partner with people in the ecosystem.”

“Honestly, my secret is I pick really, really good people around me.”

“Managing through ambiguity can be difficult for even the most experienced leaders. Defining a clear set of goals for your team demonstrates that there is an end in sight. However, it's crucial during this time to move through the transition in phases.”

“It's not about me. It's about the organization being successful.”

“I always remember what's the most important thing - my kids.”

“As a woman, this is one of these areas where you have to walk a fine line: the classic, 'Are you soft and squishy, and you hug everybody, and you're a cheerleader?' versus, 'Are you the hard-nosed you-know-what female dog?'”

“When I walk into a new organization and I don't know the industry or the people, which has always been the case, I do a few things. One is I think about the business from the outside in.”

“I don't need to spend hours in meetings, because I can have a two-minute conversation with a colleague who is pretty damn smart and who knows how to get the job done. And, if he needs my help on something, he'll let me know.”