Healthcare historically made for ideal breeding grounds for snobbery. Now, attitudes of elitism aren’t just a sign of poor teamwork — they are a sign of incompetence. 

Elitism and healthcare are longtime cousins. They go back generations, with a relationship that can be problematic but unsurprising. Take a big group of people hyper-specialized in what they do for a living, with skills and talents that are difficult and time-consuming to replicate, find or build. Add in different licensure rules, educational requirements, degrees, pay scales and levels of visibility and recognition. Mix in varying degrees of stakes, from the evidently high like a 10-hour open heart surgery to the seemingly low.

It’s no wonder that, at its worst, healthcare can foster feelings throughout its workforce of superiority, resentment, power struggles, and a disparity in recognition that may leave some individuals feeling undervalued and others overly praised. This spins a complex web of politics that can feel like a secondary job to navigate with often miscategorized “soft skills.” 

Healthcare has no room today for superiority or condescension. Say that all we want, but living it out daily in cultures, within teams, and in organizations with tens of thousands of people is the real test. The health systems that will win in terms of employee recruitment and retention, leadership development, and patient experience and outcomes will be those with the best people skills. 

Here are three thoughts on what this can look like and why it matters: 

1. Snobbery is embarrassing. I often recall a story in which a party guest corrected the host who offered him champagne by taking a look at the bottle and restating: “Would I like a glass of sparkling wine? Champagne only comes from France.” 

Sometimes snobbery can make people feel small, because even broken clocks are right twice a day. More often than not, arrogance signals misaligned priorities and need for personal growth. Graciousness, kindness and situational and self-awareness are more powerful than misfired attempts at superiority ever will be. Say thanks for domestic champagne and add life to the party, figuratively.  

2. Interdependence is a superpower. If anything good has come from healthcare’s workforce shortages, it is undeniable clarity about the interdependence of the roles, jobs and professionals who each work in different parts of the system. No role is insignificant. Professions are different, not better/worse. 

Effective leaders will capitalize on this heightened awareness, harness it to energize people and morale, reinforce it in their actions and hold the bar for others to do the same. Unerring respect and appreciation isn’t an act of charity or a heroic feat. It’s table stakes, and strong leaders normalize it throughout every level of their organization. 

3. The less pretentious, the better. Pretentiousness involves insincere attempts to appear more impressive or important than one actually is. Who has time for it? And, a reminder: Healthcare is complicated enough. It needs leaders who are themselves, remember where they came from, and enjoy people. Effective healthcare leaders prioritize building real connections with others first; whether they impress them or not is of lesser concern.