CHAPTER 13Exude Executive Presence: How to Flourish as a Leader of Color on Your Way Up the Corporate Mountain
In the past, power was centralized in the hands of the few people who had access to information. Now that information is available everywhere, the leader's critical question is “How do I charge up the organization so that we're maximizing the intellect of all of our people?”
—Bernard Tyson, former President and CEO, Kaiser Permanente
Bernard Tyson was one of the most influential healthcare executives in America. As a child, Bernard decided he wanted to run his own hospital after seeing his mother consistently being hospitalized due to her never-ending struggle with diabetes. He went back to school for his MBA to gain more knowledge and master his craft. He started as an administrative analyst at Vallejo General Hospital in 1981 and later became the CEO of Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Santa Rosa, California by 1992. He was 33 years old.
Bernard Tyson found the way up the corporate mountain to a corner office in just 11 years! Upon assuming an executive position, he is quoted as saying, “I thought I had arrived—I never thought it would only last for a year.” That is because he quickly got promoted within Kaiser Permanente to even larger roles: Senior Vice President (1999–2006), Executive Vice President (2006–2010), President and Chief Operating Officer (2010–2013), and finally Chairman and Chief Executive Office from 20141 until his untimely death on November 10, ...