Dr. Jeffrey Balser: How Great Leaders Handle Hard Things

Dr. Jeffrey Balser: How Great Leaders Handle Hard Things

From Human School by Miles Adcox

April 1, 2026 · 1h 55m · Episode 22

About this episode

Dr. Jeffrey Balser discusses the intersection of personal grief and leadership in a conversation with Miles Adcox.

If this conversation moves you, Onsite might be the nextstep. Their immersive workshops are where people go to stop performing and start doing the real work. Visit experienceonsite.com or call 1(800) 341-7432 to find the experience best for you. What if the grief you buried as a teenager becomes the force that makes you human enough to lead thousands? What if the greatest leadership lessons come not from aboardroom, but from a bedside? Dr. Jeffrey Balser is the CEO and President of VanderbiltUniversity Medical Center, one of the most respected academic medical institutions in the world with 45,000 employees and over a billion dollars in annual community benefit. But beneath the title is a man who spent a lifetime learning what most leaders never slow down long enough to figure out: that the grief you don't deal with follows you into the boardroom, that the skills you build in crisis belong just as much at home, and that the most important thing you lead may not be on your org chart. In this conversation, Miles and Jeff move between thepersonal and professional, with the ease of two people who have spent years paying attention. They talk about losing a mother to cancer at sixteen…

People in this episode

Host: Miles Adcox

Guest: Dr. Jeffrey Balser

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • grief
  • personal development
  • healthcare
  • crisis management

Keywords

  • leadership lessons
  • grief
  • Vanderbilt University
  • COVID vaccine
  • personal growth

Sponsors

Onsite

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, COVID

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