I had the privilege of spending a fascinating hour interviewing Mark Dixon, president of the Mark Dixon Group, LLC, who has enjoyed nearly four decades as a senior healthcare leader in organizations including Allina Health System, Community Health Network of Indianapolis, and Fairview Health Services. During our interview, Dixon shared some of his experiences as a healthcare leader, and offered some great insights and timeless lessons applicable to any leader.
Dixon explained that he began his career as a pharmacist, but soon realized he had an aptitude to lead. “I began taking on leadership roles, and suddenly I could see that the work that I could do would not only affect one patient at a time, but so many patients in so many positive ways.” Dixon soon found his niche in healthcare leadership, where he realized he could have a larger impact by improving the healthcare experience for so many.
Dixon pointed to integrity and compassion as having most positively impacted his career, stating, “I’m here to serve. I’m here to provide a better experience. I’m here not to be a controller, but rather to serve the organization and serve the patient.” Dixon went on to offer the advice that in order to provide great service and maintain the values of compassion and integrity, good healthcare leaders should consistently put themselves in the shoes of patients, physicians, clinicians, and all employees alike.
When asked what he has enjoyed most about his career in healthcare, Dixon responded, “I love building high-performance teams—getting the team functioning together and working together to serve our patients.” Anyone in any industry knows that getting a team, or teams, of people to work together toward one common goal is rarely easy. Being able to facilitate and watch teams break down barriers and support each other, Dixon explained, is one of the things he loves most about being in healthcare leadership.
During his long career as a healthcare leader, Dixon has helped the organizations he has served focus on what is most important and what needs to be done to not only survive, but thrive. “The second thing I really enjoy about healthcare leadership is trying to provide strategic focus, and really help the organization focus on where it needs to be in three to five years, and not just where it is today.” Dixon explained that strategic focus is imperative to achieving operational excellence, which is a third thing that Dixon really enjoys about healthcare leadership, and a value that he holds up as critical to success in healthcare leadership. “It’s really about trying to reduce variation, achieve the best for the organization, and keep people focused on that operational excellence.”
No doubt this healthcare leader is absolutely committed to the success of healthcare and the organizations that he serves. In addition to his passion for healthcare leadership, Mark Dixon is passionate about his family and maintaining that critical balance of work and home. In addition to spending time with family, he enjoys pursuing some of his favorite hobbies, including traveling, listening to music, walking, hiking, and fishing. He also hopes to check a couple things off his bucket list in the coming years, such as traveling to every continent in the world at least once, and learning the art of cooking hands-on by spending a week or even a month in France or Italy, working as a “grunt cook” in a five-star restaurant.