Where intuition goes to die with John Cohen

In this episode of the Connected Leadership Podcast, host Andy Lopata welcomes guest Jon Cohen, a vascular surgeon turned healthcare leader and policy expert, the former CEO and executive chairman of BioReference Laboratories a $1.7 billion company, and author of the book 'Swab.' Andy and Jon discuss leadership, decision-making, the importance of relationships and partnerships, navigating through external barriers, and the invaluable role of intuition amidst crisis.

In his book, Jon shares the extraordinary record of BioReference Laboratories, which established robust testing processes during the COVID-19 pandemic without any roadmap, federal guidance, or prior pandemic experience. BioReference successfully offered testing services to a wide section of the American public, outmaneuvering competitors ten times its size and achieving firsts on many COVID-19 testing frontiers.

Jon reflects on how his organisation navigated the evolving crisis. He explains that the key to their success was the team's adaptability and comfort with uncertainty. This mindset allowed key decisions to be made quickly, even when some of them were wrong. A unique aspect of their culture, which emerged during the crisis, was that decisions were less about seeking permission and more about owning responsibility.

Jon also spoke about the challenges they faced, such as the rapid scale-up of their workforce from 4,000 to 8,000 in just four months and the substantial financial uncertainties. Yet their culture of adaptability, deep commitment to a larger goal, and mindset of "yes" prevailed, leading to impressive successes during the pandemic.

The enormity of the decisions CEOs have to make, especially during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, is a significant part of their roles. Jon Cohen shared how they had to make several consequential decisions internally without external support. Interestingly, despite these challenges and often the lack of a clear path, his company thrived, reaching an unprecedented height during the pandemic.

Asking for help and building partnerships were integral strategies Jon Cohen used to navigate the crisis. Having previously established relationships with key public figures was instrumental in enabling swift responses and necessary assistance.

Furthermore, Jon emphasised how important it is to have the ability to predict market needs. Though difficult, he suggests one way to achieve this seemingly intuitive skill is to consume a diverse range of information, thereby gaining new perspectives and ideas that could be applied to the industry you're in.

On competition, Jon Cohen explained that because the need for testing during the COVID-19 pandemic was so immense, the competition was not about stealing market shares. Instead, it was a question of who would test where since everyone was just trying to get as many people tested as possible.

Jon highlighted that while there is significant importance in data and staying updated, certain decisions still need to rely on 'the little man—our gut feelings and intuition. This fascinating interplay proves that a successful leader understands the value of both. Despite the rapidly changing environment, there must be space left for instinct and the inner voice in decision-making.

Jon's insights on leadership during crisis periods offer valuable lessons for other leaders, particularly in fostering a culture of adaptability, empowerment, and commitment to a shared mission.