Dr. Elizabeth Copeland, Chief Medical Officer of Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, didn't plan her way to the c-suite. And that, it turns out, is one of the most instructive things about her journey.

In this conversation, she's candid about what the transition from clinician to senior leader actually looks like from the inside - the moments that surprised her, the instincts she had to unlearn, and the lessons she couldn't have learned any other way. She talks about the dynamics that shape how decisions really get made in large healthcare organizations, and why the skills that make someone an exceptional clinician can work against them as a leader.

There's practical wisdom here for anyone navigating a senior role or thinking about stepping into one:

• What to do in the first 90 days.
• Where new leaders most commonly lose ground without realizing it.
• What it actually takes to build an environment where people tell you the truth.
• What it means to lead as a woman in healthcare.

Dr. Copeland is willing to name what actually moves organizations: not authority, not expertise, not a well-crafted strategic plan. Relationships. Timing. Knowing when to push and when to step back. She has learned all of it on the ground - and this conversation is full of the kind of insight that only comes from someone who has genuinely lived it.

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