Elaine McLaurin

I attribute my success to hard work, determination, a willingness to learn, and refusing to let my circumstances define what I was capable of becoming. I have also been fortunate to have leaders and mentors who saw potential in me before I fully saw it in myself and were willing to invest in my growth. Over the years, I learned to receive feedback even when it was difficult and use it as a building block rather than a limitation. Most importantly, I have stayed grounded in who I am and in the values that guide me: integrity, love, and service.

The best career advice I’ve received is to never underestimate the importance of relationships and partnerships. Over the years, I’ve learned that no matter how talented, experienced, or capable I may be as an individual, there is still a limit to what I can accomplish alone. But when you build genuine relationships, collaborate with others, and create strong partnerships, your capacity expands far beyond what any one person could achieve.

Some of the greatest things I’ve been able to accomplish in my career have happened because people brought different strengths, perspectives, and expertise to the table. So I’ve learned not to focus only on what I can do, but on who I can partner with and what we can accomplish together. Individually, we have limitations. Through the right relationships and collaborations, what becomes possible can feel limitless.

My advice to young women entering the industry is to be confident in who you are and do not allow other people to define what your path is supposed to look like. You do not have to have everything figured out before you begin, and you should never disqualify yourself from an opportunity because your journey looks different from someone else’s.

Work hard, stay curious, and find mentors who are where you want to go. Learn from them, ask questions, and be willing to receive feedback even when it is uncomfortable. Some of the feedback that helped me grow the most did not feel good when I first heard it, but I learned not to dismiss it simply because it was difficult to receive.

And never underestimate the value of the experience you are gaining right where you are. My years in frontline operations ultimately became one of my greatest strengths as a leader because they taught me how decisions affect the people on the other side of the process. Your current role may be preparing you for something you cannot see yet.

Most importantly, do not spend your career trying to become someone else’s version of a successful leader. Develop your own voice, protect your integrity, keep learning, and be willing to do the work. Your circumstances may influence your journey, but they do not have to determine how far you can go.

One of the biggest challenges and opportunities in healthcare right now is learning how to fully leverage technology and artificial intelligence without losing the human judgment, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence that our work still requires.

AI offers tremendous opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, support affordability, and allow people to spend more time on work that truly requires human expertise. At the same time, healthcare is rarely black and white. There are complex situations where experience, discernment, empathy, and sound judgment remain essential.

I also believe our industry must continue finding ways to do more with limited resources while improving the experience for clients and members. That requires us to think beyond individual tasks and understand how decisions made in one part of the organization can affect people downstream. The opportunity is to bring technology, operational expertise, and strong partnerships together to reduce rework, improve efficiency, and ultimately make it easier for people to access the healthcare coverage and services they need.

The real opportunity is not choosing between technology and people. It is learning how to create the right partnership between them.

The values that are most important to me are integrity, love, and service. I don’t separate those values between my professional and personal life they are the foundation for how I try to show up everywhere.

Integrity means doing what is right even when it is difficult, inconvenient, or may cost me something. I want people to know they never have to question where I stand or whether I will be honest with them. Love means remembering the humanity in people, even in difficult situations. I try to lead with empathy, check my own heart posture, and recognize that people may be carrying things I cannot see. Service means using whatever position, experience, influence, or resources I have to help someone else move forward. Whether I am leading at work, supporting my family, advocating for a child, or serving through my nonprofit, I want my presence to make a meaningful difference.

For me, success is not just about what I accomplish. It is about whether I accomplish it without compromising who I am and whether the people I encounter are better because I was willing to show up with integrity, love, and service.