IDSA Leadership Institute Leadership Bolus

Dr. Hartzell is a member of the faculty for the IDSA Leadership Institute. He is a board-certified internist and infectious diseases physician. He served 25 years in the United States Army, including a deployment to Afghanistan as a battalion surgeon with the 82nd Airborne Division, before retiring in 2023. He has held multiple academic roles including assistant dean for faculty development at the Uniformed Services University and program director for the National Capital Consortium Internal Medicine Residency. He completed a Master of Science in Health Professions Education at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, where he continues to teach leadership development. Dr. Hartzell’s current academic interests include leader and faculty development to empower leaders to create positive change in their spheres of influence at work, home and communities.

Greetings everyone!

Do you feel like your work matters? 

Do the people who work with and for you feel like their work matters?

The topic of mattering has come up multiple times these past few weeks. I have seen four new books on this topic in 2026. Here are two books and podcasts with tips on how to help people feel like they matter. 

The first one is The Power of Mattering, by Zach Mercurio, who spoke recently on the Do Good to Lead Well podcast. In his book, Mercurio talks about three key elements: 

1. Noticing: The practice of seeing and hearing others
2. Affirming: The practice of showing people how their unique gifts make a difference
3. Needing: The practice of showing people how they’re relied on and indispensable

I listen to lots of leadership podcasts, and this episode has jumped to near the top of my list. Full disclosure, there is a lot of talk about how caring is critical for leaders, which resonates with my philosophy of leadership. What I loved about this podcast was that it was both inspirational and tactical. Here are a few of the quotes and lessons that I took away:

“People care when they feel cared for.”

“People need to be valued to add value.”

“Time and attention are the currency of care.”

“In leadership, there is magic in being remembered.”
 

Pro tips to bring these ideas to life:

1. Create a “noticing notebook.” 
Don’t leave it up to chance; develop a strategy to check in on the people you lead. In the podcast, they talk about a “noticing notebook.” The notebook is used to track important things personally or professionally about people you lead. Ask questions to find out more about the people you lead, and track them on a weekly basis. Once a week, follow up with people about those things. 

Examples could include:

• A barrier that was creating problems at work
• Progress on a big project or a talk someone was preparing to give
• A complicated surgery or case someone was going to perform
• A kid’s sporting event
• A big event someone went to over the weekend or a vacation 

2. Don’t forget to ask about…
Put this reminder on a card or on your calendar to remind you to ask about certain things when you are going to be meeting with someone. Depending on who you are meeting with, give yourself a reminder to ask about things that would be important to them. You can do this with your patients as well. I put reminders about big life events for them or what their kids are doing. 
 
3. Event check-in (not on the podcast by adding my own idea)
When you know someone has a big event coming up in their life or career, make it a point to check in on them. I will put these events on my calendar, so I have a reminder to stop by, call, email or text, either before the event to encourage them or after the event to see how it went.
Each of us can create small moments to help the people we work with feel like their work matters. That THEY matter. 

Listen to this podcast or read Mercurio’s book to get more ideas!

The second book was Flourish: The Transformative Power of Creating Community by Daniel Coyle. He is the same author of my all-time favorite leadership book, Culture Code. Coyle was hosted by Mark Crowley on the Lead From the Heart podcast and started by saying we are living in a period of an “emptiness epidemic.” People are successful but still feel empty in their lives. To counter that, he provides ideas about creating community and helping people “connect deeply” and have “agency” about our lives. 

He talked about Penn State men’s basketball coach, Mike Rhoades, who begins each season with a teambuilding exercise called the 4 H’s. 

Hero: Important person in your life
Heartbreak: Time you were heartbroken or had failure in your life
History: Family background and life story
Hope: For the coming year
 
He has each player go through the 4 H’s so they get to know each other and build trust. This is a great exercise to do with your team. If you are bringing in new trainees, you could do this during orientation. 

Let’s end with an article that talks about the value of communication in helping people feel value. This article on leadership communication published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine concluded that “leadership communication reduced burnout by conveying to faculty and staff that they are valued.”

Your job as a leader is to help the people you lead feel valued. 
Lead well, my friends!

Julie Trivedi, MD, CPCC, FIDSA, is a board-certified infectious diseases physician, mom of two girls and a certified professional Co-Active Coach. She is actively involved with the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and is currently serving as an elected councilor on the Board. She has completed the Co-Active Training Institute Leadership Experience, was part of the IDSA Leadership Institute Community of Leaders program in 2022 and serves as the lead coach for the Rising Leaders Program. She actively coaches women and physicians in medicine away from burnout and overwhelm and toward fulfillment and joy. Dr. Trivedi’s interests include faculty and leader development through mentorship and professional coaching.   

Over time, it becomes even more important for us to audit our time and energy commitments. Time is the one constant among all living beings on Earth. Have you ever found yourself saying, “I don’t have time,” or, “I’m just so busy”? These are key indicators prompting you to reflect how you are utilizing your time. 

“If you had $24,000 dollars to spend per day, with each hour being worth $1,000, how would you allocate your money? How much would you spend on sleep? How much on time with your family? How much for doomscrolling or binge-watching Netflix?”

A complementary strategy to time management is energy management. In this context, we can identify ideal times of the day to address certain tasks. An energy audit asks you to recognize when you are at your best, when you are most focused and when you are most energized. Try taking the chronotype quiz by the Sleep Doctor to find out when you are naturally inclined to do your best work and more. 

Below are some reflection questions to identify your secret formula. The four categories I use for each of these questions are physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. 

1. What does it feel like when I am at my best? Am I energized, feeling rested, relaxed, calm, at peace, happy, etc.?
   
   
2. What does it look like when I am at my best? Am I vibrant, conversational, focused, active, pleasant to be around?
   
   
3. What do I need to be my best? How many hours of sleep do I need? What boundaries do I need to establish? What do I need to say “no” to? What acts of self-care are essential to my well-being? 

Understanding what is essential for your well-being empowers you to make intentional changes so you can live in a way that honors you and your truth.