Seasons leadership podcast
The women in leadership podcast
Improving the health of pregnant women through leadership with Dr. Cathy Spong
Season
3
| Episode
2
4/13/2022
Learn from Dr. Cathy Spong who is a Tenured Professor and Chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She also serves as Chief of the Department’s Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and holds the Paul C. MacDonald Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Join Seasons Leadership Co-Founders Debbie Collard and Susan Ireland as they interview Cathy about her leadership and mission to improve outcomes for pregnant women and families.
Show notes
Dr. Spong talks about her leadership journey (3:57) and when she started to see herself as a leader. She shares a story about how hard it was to be a newcomer needing to lead (4:30) and gives clear advice. She relates the importance of getting to know your team and shares a relatable example of a scientist wanting to paint (5:24). She connects some of her early success to her exposure to the Baldrige criteria (6:35).
Next, Cathy reveals what she has recognized as key as she has grown in her leadership experiences – communication (7:58). Then the leaders discuss the experience gap (9:00) and the danger of being in an echo chamber (10:33) and needing to surround yourself with people that will challenge you. Dr. Spong shares her mission or “why” (12:13) and explores one of her biggest leadership challenges – the COVID pandemic (13:33).
The conversation shifts to what Cathy is most proud of – her family (16:23) and how she manages to balance it all (17:13). She shares a personal story of how she influenced others just by being herself and inadvertently broke the rules (18:30). Finally, she addresses the loneliness of being a leader sometimes (21:25).
(25:20) Debbie and Susan share their insights from the discussion with Cathy. This is part 2 of a 3-episode series featuring Dr. David Spong and Dr. Cathy Spong.
Interested in learning more about the Baldrige criteria? Listen to part 1: Inside the Baldrige Leadership Journey with Dr. David Spong - Seasons Leadership Podcast
SHARE THIS EPISODE:
Most Recent episodes
See All
Season
5
| Episode
60
Building educational bridges to leadership with Melissa Johnson
5.8.24
|
27
Join us as we talk to Executive Director of the Bellevue College Foundation Melissa Johnson about her unconventional higher education jou...
Read More
Season
5
| Episode
59
Creating inclusive teams by cultivating alignment with Patty Beach
4.24.24
|
33
Patty Beach, CEO of Leadership Smarts and author of "The Art of Alignment: A Practical Guide to Inclusive Leadership," joins us for this ...
Read More
Season
5
| Episode
58
Leading with Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion with Dr. Jen Self
4.10.24
|
33
Join me, Susan Ireland, as I talk with the remarkable Dr. Jen Self, whose life work weaves the threads of justice, equity, diversity and ...
Read MoreMost Recent Episodes
See All
Seeking feedback on your communication will enhance your leadership presence today
Have you ever thought that you did a good job communicating something only to find out later that what you thought you communicated is not what people thought you meant to communicate? You are not alone. Many people think that they communicate clearly and get frustrated when they don’t get the results for which they were hoping.
Read More
Own your leadership journey
What I didn’t realize early in my career was that I could take ownership of my leadership journey – I just needed to know how. Our working definition of leadership at Seasons Leadership is, “the ability to inspire and motivate yourself and others to action.”
Read More
Mirroring the Metaphor of Spring in Ireland
Spring is a season of awakening—to new energy, creativity and possibilities. It's a time to elevate our thinking, clarify our vision and explore new plans.
Read More