Courtney House

I attribute my success to my determination and my genuine desire to want to support the people around me. I'm deeply committed to helping others succeed because if they aren't succeeding, I'm not succeeding. That's my job - my job is to help them grow. If I'm not striving for excellence in myself, how can I equip others to do that as well? I'm really strong with the servant leadership style and a growth mindset, so I get out there and do the work with them, showing them that I'm not going to expect anything that I wouldn't do myself. With keeping those values and attributing that self-determination to myself, I feel like it's really shaped not only my journey, but those that are alongside me. The connections that have continued since I've left places and gone places speak volumes to the way I do things, and it helps me grow those professional teams and feel better at the end of the day as well.

The best career advice I ever received was to never settle, stay hungry, and never sacrifice who I am just to fit the mold. I received this advice from a gentleman when I started my first job in healthcare as a front desk receptionist, and he's still somebody I talk to to this day. He told me to make sure I keep it with me, and I have throughout my entire professional journey. That advice has really grounded me and reminded me to remain true to who I am. If at any point in time I feel like who I am is being forced to be something that I'm not, that's where I step back and say, is this the right fit for me? It's helped me to shape myself, show up for others, and help them grow. It's really helped me stay authentic to who I am, and it's helped me build trust and foster strong relationships with my teams as well. It's just really shaped me into the leader that I want to be, rather than somebody I feel like I should be.

I would encourage somebody stepping into a leadership role, a young woman like myself, to come in with that servant leadership mindset paired with a can-do attitude. Don't shy away from doing the work alongside your team. Show that you're willing to support them in every way, even in tasks as simple as taking out the trash or shredding the papers at the end of the day. It builds trust, it builds respect. At the end of the day, your teams just want to know that you're there for them. Be confident in who you are, lead with purpose, and show up with consistency. Those habits create meaningful progress, not only to yourself, but to the people you guide. Stay grounded and be true to yourself and be true to your values, and build something you can be truly proud of. If you're not proud of the work you're doing, what's the point in doing it?

Coming from healthcare, the biggest challenge that we have is the constant pace of change. Healthcare changes every day. As the needs of our communities evolve, so do the expectations placed on our employees and our personal roles. As a leader, it changes every day. While this creates uncertainty, it also presents meaningful opportunities. We have to change with that growth, and if we are working to build those resilient teams and be adaptable and capable of navigating those changes, we can accomplish anything. I think at the end of the day, our biggest challenges are also our biggest opportunities, and it presents us an opportunity to see things from a new perspective. It helps us to remain flexible and helps us to continue developing in our own professional journeys as well. I don't think anybody should really look at anything as a challenge - it just is a new adventure, and that's the best part about working in healthcare. It keeps it fun. We never know what we're getting into in the day.

Family is the center of everything I do. I went back to school and made myself better for my daughter. I wanted her to know that she has a strong role model, and the only person that stands in your way is yourself. So family is definitely the foundation of why I do what I do. Values for myself, like self-compassion and self-determination, have really shaped who I am, and they've helped me grow. They've guided me through challenges and have helped me to evolve into the leader I am today. I approach my work and the people I support with empathy and compassion, because at the end of the day, we're people. We aren't robots, and people need to be people. Believing that and sticking with that helps me make meaningful connections, and it helps me build understanding and genuinely care about my teams and care about my family. It just keeps me going throughout the day.