Why Ochsner Health supply chain leaders focus on foundations before solutions

Ochsner Health has experienced tremendous growth over the past two decades. What has that experience taught you about leadership?

Gurdián: Growth is exciting because you're serving more patients and communities. But growth also creates complexity.

Every acquisition brings its own processes, culture, physician preferences, and operational practices. As leaders, we've learned that you can't assume scale will solve problems. In many cases, scale exposes them.

One lesson I've taken away is that leadership isn't about finding one big answer. It's about creating consistency. The organizations that perform well over time are usually the ones that are willing to do the foundational work repeatedly and well.

Both of you speak often about foundations. Why is that so important?

Leger: Because it's tempting to jump straight to solutions.

People want dashboards. They want analytics. They want to talk about AI. But if the underlying processes aren't sound, those tools only take you so far.

Early in our journey, we realized we had opportunities in inventory management, data governance, and operational discipline. Before we could have productive conversations about variation, we had to make sure we could trust the information we were bringing to those conversations.

That's not always glamorous work, but it's necessary work.

How has your leadership approach evolved as Ochsner Health has grown?

Leger: I've learned the importance of listening.

Supply chain leaders sometimes feel pressure to arrive with answers. What I've found is that meaningful change often starts with understanding what clinicians, nurses, and operational leaders are trying to accomplish.

When people feel heard, they're much more willing to engage in difficult conversations around standardization, utilization, or process change.

Gurdián: I'd add humility.

The larger an organization becomes, the less likely it is that any one person understands every piece of the puzzle. We have incredibly talented clinicians, operators, analysts, and supply chain professionals. Leadership becomes less about having the answer and more about creating an environment where the right people can solve problems together.

Trust was a recurring theme in your webinar. How do you build trust, particularly with physicians?

Gurdián: It starts with transparency.

If the data has limitations, say so. If you don't know the answer, say so. People lose confidence when leaders pretend information is perfect.

One thing we've learned is that clinicians don't expect perfection. They expect honesty. They want to know that you've done your homework and that you're willing to acknowledge where gaps exist.

Leger: And they want to know you're listening.

A lot of our success has come from physician champions who help us understand context that isn't visible in a spreadsheet. That partnership works because there's mutual respect.

What role do physician champions play in leading change?

Leger: They're essential.

You have to be able to speak physician to physician. Supply chain can provide data and facilitate conversations, but physicians are often best positioned to engage their peers and explain why change matters.

Some of our most successful initiatives started because physicians themselves identified opportunities. That's when you know you're building a culture where improvement belongs to everyone, not just one department.

How do you balance urgency with the reality that meaningful change takes time?

Gurdián: That's one of the hardest parts of leadership.

Everyone wants results quickly. The challenge is that healthcare is so interconnected. You make one change, and it impacts multiple workflows, teams, and stakeholders.

We've learned to focus on progress rather than speed. Sometimes the fastest path is actually slowing down long enough to understand the problem completely before implementing a solution.

What leadership lesson are you still learning?

Leger: Change management never gets easier.

Every organization, every service line, and every team is different. What worked in one situation may not work in another. You have to remain adaptable.

Gurdián: For me, it's remembering that leadership is a journey, not a destination.

There's always another challenge, another opportunity, another lesson to learn. The goal is continuing to improve while helping your team grow along the way.

What advice would you give emerging supply chain leaders?

Leger: The strongest leaders I've worked with understand that trust is built over time, not during a difficult conversation.

Gurdián: Stay curious. Spend time with clinicians. Visit procedural areas. Ask questions. The more you understand how care is delivered, the more effective you'll be as a leader.

Supply chain touches nearly every part of healthcare. The best leaders embrace that opportunity to learn from the people around them.