Banner Health was in need of a strong, energetic, visionary leader when Peter Fine arrived on scene in November 2000 as the new president and CEO. In the years since, Fine has very effectively led Banner Health’s transformation into a nationally recognized clinical-quality powerhouse. This Phoenix-based health system is now one of the largest nonprofit, secular healthcare organizations in the nation. Banner Health currently includes nearly 30 hospitals and other healthcare facilities, encompassing seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming.
Peter Fine is unquestionably a bold and effective change agent. He was hired in late 2000 to lead the revitalization of a large organization in the midst of a disruptive post merger time period. Before arriving at Banner Health, Fine served in several key leadership roles at healthcare organizations across the country, including Wisconsin’s Aurora Healthcare, Grant Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital—both in Chicago, and Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Fine, who received a BA from Ohio University and a Masters in Healthcare Administration from George Washington University, is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is also a member of the American Hospital Association and the Health Management Academy, and serves on the board of directors for the Translational Genomics Research Institute. In addition to his involvement in the healthcare arena, Fine is also committed to his local community, participating in the Business Coalition Leadership Council and Greater Phoenix Leadership as well as serving on the board of Phoenix’s Heard Museum.
When asked what drew him to a career in healthcare leadership, Fine explained that his mother ran a doctors office for 25 years, which introduced him to the world of healthcare. Initially, after graduating from college, Fine took up skiing as a self-declared “ski bum” for a while before deciding he needed to put his intellect and management skills to use in a more fulfilling way. He chose healthcare administration because of the influence of his mother’s career and because he felt it would be personally fulfilling. He explained, “I thought this was an opportunity to do something that would make me feel good and would enable me to exercise my business management interests.” He said that if he hadn’t gone back to grad school and pursued a career in healthcare leadership he likely would have ended up as a high school or college lacrosse coach, combining his passion for teaching and coaching with his love for the sport he played in college.
Fine has now been in the healthcare business since 1977 and has few regrets. He’s come a long way since playing lacrosse, skiing, and his first ‘real’ job—driving a taxi just outside of New York City in the summers during his college years. He finds his current position at Banner Health to be extremely rewarding, noting,
“I’m pretty proud of how far the organization has come during the years I’ve been here. If I had to leave tomorrow, I could feel really good about the company. I think the greatest achievement for an executive is not what they did in the first couple of years in the job; it’s how they left the company. Can they walk away from the company or job and say ‘I have left it better than I got it’? I can say that today. To me that’s the legacy.”
The one low-note that Fine would point to during his time at the helm of Banner Health is his decreased ability to “walk the halls.” As he explained during the interview, one thing he learned from an early mentor was the importance of visibility as a leader: “Visibility breeds credibility and credibility breeds trust, so if you want to be trusted, you better be visible.” The size and scope of the Banner Health System makes it impossible for Fine to be physically present in the halls of every one of their facilities, a drawback that Fine does not take lightly. However, Banner Health’s impressive intranet system enables him to engage with all employees through frequent video messages, which help Fine to stay visible in an increasingly challenging environment where visibility is key.
When asked to reflect on key decisions and turning points in his career, Fine recalled his very first CEO job, which he left after only 18 months. He explained that, despite the advice of friends and colleagues who counseled him not to, he submitted his resignation, “because I wasn’t right for the organization and it wasn’t right for me.” His career could have very well gone in the tank, as predicted by many of his colleagues, but Fine decided to follow his gut and take that chance. Now decades later, it’s apparent that he made the right choice and his career gamble paid off.
Fine also noted that other significant turning points in his career occurred every time he took a job that he wasn’t completely prepared for, but went for anyway. “There were a number of times where I was able to interview well enough to be offered a bigger job or additional responsibilities. On paper, I am not sure I was the most qualified, but I ended up being offered that job or those additional responsibilities.” These career challenges were always incredible learning experiences for Fine, who explained, “I think the key is to know your strengths, know your weaknesses, focus on your strengths, and find out how to fix or minimize your weaknesses. But grow as a leader and think about how to do that.”
Peter Fine has obviously built a very successful career in healthcare leadership, but when asked how he defines success in his own life, he answered, “Success for me is having a job I love to go to, a great family, being friends with my kids, and loved by the grandkids.” He loves to spend time with his family, asserting that though he works hard, he is not a workaholic, and enjoys every minute of his time off. He shares a love for international travel with his wife, Rebecca, and their kids and grandkids. In addition to travel, Fine enjoys a bit of golf and attending national and international sporting events when time allows, including the Olympics and the World Cup.