Joey Wahler (Host): He's been named one of the world's 50 greatest leaders by Fortune Magazine, received the George W. Bush Presidential Center's Bush Institute Trailblazer Citation, and is the only three-time recipient of the HBCU Male President of the Year Award. So, we're discussing leading through change and uncertainty in healthcare.

Our guest is Dr. Michael Sorrell, a visionary leader, institutional change agent, and President of Paul Quinn College in Dallas. Dr. Sorrell will be one of the keynote speakers at ACHE's 2025 Congress on Healthcare Leadership. It's happening March 24th through the 27th in Houston. To learn more and to register, please visit ache.org/congress. This is the Healthcare Executive Podcast from the American College of Healthcare Executives, providing you with insightful commentary and developments in the world of healthcare leadership. To learn more, visit ACHE.org. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi there, Dr. Sorrell. Welcome.

Dr. Michael Sorrell: Hi, Joey. It's a pleasure to be here.

Host: Back in 2007, you were part of an ownership group on the verge of buying the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and you were to become team president, a dream of yours as part of that. But then, Paul Quinn College reaches out. And so, tell us in a nutshell first, please, what happened then?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: Well, Parkland College is a faith-based school, so the best way to explain it is that the Lord intervened on my very human plans. I had always dreamed of being part of an ownership group and running an NBA franchise. When I had what felt like the opportunity in the palm of my hand, what I did not count on is the emotional connection I would feel with this institution. And so, me even acknowledging that I would be the interim president and have this role for three months, because that was initially how long I was supposed to have it, was just for three months. I thought that was safe. And in that three-month time, I fell in love with the institution, and it became very clear to me that this is where I was supposed to be.

Host: You say the Lord intervened and really who better, right?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: That's exactly right.

Host: Now, your background includes being a business owner, practicing law, and working as a special assistant in the executive office of the president during the Clinton administration. So Dr. Sorrell, how would you say that eclectic road to say the least has helped prepare you to be an effective leader now?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: What my background did for me was it gave me the opportunity to study different leadership styles in different career paths, in different subject matters, in jurisdictions. And it gave me the opportunity to really, really look at what made people successful, regardless of the subject matter.

The reality of it is a couple things really stood out in all of those. Number one, the people who tended to have longstanding successful careers were people who genuinely cared about the people they were responsible for, that authenticity, that sincerity of really being concerned with the people that you are leading. So many leaders that I ran into didn't have that. I also saw people of great character. There were certainly leaders who had poor character. But they were a disappointment to the people that they were charged with caring for. And I didn't want that. I didn't want to be one of those individuals.

And I just saw the value in speaking truth to power and holding yourself accountable before others, and genuinely caring about the people whose well being you have been tasked with improving.

Host: At Paul Quinn, you've taken a century and a half old, small, but Historically black college that was struggling and actually close to closing at the time to now seeing it back in 2011, named HBCU of the Year, and using what you call the We-Over-Me approach to leadership. What does that mean?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: Well, the We-Over-Me approach is consistent with what I was referring to before, and that is putting the needs of others before the wants of yourself. So many people are hurting in this society. I don't have to tell your audience because they're doctors. They're charged with being the caretakers of people's dreams. And many individuals who have gone through these periods in their lives have been disappointed by the selfishness of institutions and individuals that they looked up to at some point.

And what I always want people to know is that we have the ability to do more for each other if we simply would stop focusing every decision on the I in the room. I'm not talking about neglecting one's own personal needs. I'm challenging people to look beyond once those needs are met. How much more do you really need? And if you have the capacity to do more for others, that would give an overall societal benefit that improves all of our lives, what's wrong with doing that?

Listen, I tell people all the time, I want all my students to become wealthy, not because I'm just out here hoping they all give lots of money back to the college, okay? Which I do hope they do. But it's more so because I want the comfort that brings their lives. I want them to live lives free of scarcity. But once those needs are met, I want them to turn their attention on doing for those who have very little, because I think that makes all of our lives better.

Host: Absolutely. And being that you're a big basketball guy, as we discussed at the top, recently deceased long-time St. John's basketball coach Lou Carnesecca used to have a saying back when he was coaching where he would advise young successful coaches when they were coming up not to take every last dollar, not to chase every last opportunity. He had a saying, "Leave the chandeliers."

Dr. Michael Sorrell: Yeah. I love that. What I've been doing this 18 years now, and many younger college presidents will reach out to me when they're negotiating their contracts, and they'll always ask me, "I think I can get this. I think I can get that. I want this. I want that." And I always tell them, "Leave something on the table, not because you don't deserve everything that's being offered to you, but for what it says about you, how you view the institution, the organization." And what I have learned is when you do that, you are blessed ten-fold. And I think there's a lot to be said for selfless leadership.

Host: That's your philosophy, that's your approach. But still, of course, it's got to lead to results. And it certainly has in your case at the college. So, how have you successfully communicated your vision there? And what advice do you have for healthcare leaders to communicate their vision for change?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: The first thing I would tell healthcare leaders is to remember why people are with you. If you sign up to work in the healthcare industry, you're signing up because you genuinely care about the best interest of other people. That's why you're there because you think you can help people live healthier lives, more productive lives, longer lives. There are a lot of things that get in the way There's archaic and cumbersome rules. Everywhere you turn, there's something else making it harder for doctors and nurses and physicians assistants and everyone affiliated with the industry to do what it is they came to do, which is to care for others.

 Do not allow the wonkiness of the system to obscure why you were there in the first place. And if you can keep that positive spirit, that positive spirit will be reflected in how you treat your patients, how you treat your colleagues, that will then help others live up to the standard that you have set. And I have seen that in what's happened here. My willingness to go the extra mile, to be selfless, to put others before myself, that has resonated with my staff. And more often than not, people meet me in those spaces. And I'm proud of that. I'm proud to lead an organization where my staff genuinely love the students and the community we serve, and that we're seeing that attitude and that mindset resonate not just with our students and their families, but people who surround the school who may never be our students. They understand it, are emulating it as well.

Host: As you point out, healthcare leaders are dedicated to caring for patients and ensuring the wellbeing of the frontline staff. So, how would you say they can ensure that they're also taking care of themselves? Perhaps not necessarily financially or success-wise, but just in terms of their lifestyle and quality of life, family life, et cetera.

Dr. Michael Sorrell: We all think we're bionic until we find out we aren't. And I, myself, was not immune to that, right? Especially individuals who have a measure of academic success and intellectual prowess. We fall in love with our intellectual capacity and capabilities. We just do. And we think that that makes us immune to healthcare issues, and especially doctors, right? I mean, you work around it all the time.

Theoretically, you know better, but it's easy to fall into bad habits. I was a college basketball player, and with someone who always made a commitment to staying in shape and exercising. Now, look, did I get every decision perfect? No, I love peach cobbler. And if you put a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies down in front of me, all bets are off. But it's more than just that. We can be lulled into these lifestyles where we think the more we work, it shows how tough we are, how great we are, how committed we are. Well, it also can break your body down. And I got to a place where 18 months into the job here, where I was stressed out, working 18 hour days, seven days a week, and suffered something called a sudden cardiac death. I had no history of heart issues whatsoever. I was healthy, never needed any medicine, none of that. And I had a 2% chance of living.

And when I came to, when I went to sleep that night, I was in my bed at home. When I woke up two, three days later, I was in a hospital with all of the people who loved me looking at me when I woke up, which is disconcerting. I mean, I don't know, Joey, if you are a Marvel comics fan, and I don't know if you saw the movie Iron Man, but you know, where Tony Stark wakes up in that cave, that was me. Wires coming in and out of my chest and all of that.

When it was explained to me what happened, I understood two things immediately. One, we were going to be successful at Paul Quinn because I wasn't saved to be humiliated, to fail. That's typically not how life works. But I also understood that it was a wake up call to me, that it should have never happened. The doctors really can't explain why it happened. I think it happened to ensure that I made a commitment to looking after myself because of the things that were going to come to me next.

And what came to me next was marrying my girlfriend, who was amazing, having two beautiful children that I want to be here as long as humanly possible for, leading one of the most radical transformations in the history of higher education, coming to speak at the ACHE conference, all these wonderful things that I never would have gotten to if I didn't make these changes.

And so, I share that because hopefully there's someone out there that has been lulled into lifestyle that is not sustainable and is not going to allow for the best version of themselves to be present when it matters the most. I would say to the listeners there's nothing you are doing that is more important than looking after your health. There just isn't. So, go for walks, ride bikes. Find whatever it is that works for you and commit to it. Five, six days a week. In the winter, I'll walk two miles or more. In the warm weather, either I'm swimming four days a week, and riding my bike three days a week, or flip it, I watch what I eat. And it's not as fun it is absolutely not as fun. I miss cheesecake. I miss fried chicken. I miss those things that were so much more flavorful than a never-ending stream of kale salads, I don't drink anymore. I've made a decision I want to get the most out of this life. I want to walk my daughter down the aisle and she's nine. I want to know my grandchildren. I want to make it impossible for my wife to ever marry anyone else, right? Like I am trying to get the most out of this thing that I can. And I can't do that if I don't look after myself and I don't want any less for the folks who are listening to us and who will be at the conference.

Host: And all after having just a 2% chance of living, you said.

Dr. Michael Sorrell: They didn't tell me that when I woke up they saved that little tidbit until my followup doctor's appointment where they told me, they said, you know, "It's really unusual for someone to live after they have a sudden cardiac death episode in their home." No one had told me I had a sudden death cardiac episode. They told me that had a cardiac episode. They had omitted the sudden death part. "By the way, you died, you had to be resuscitated. There's a name for this thing. It's called sudden death," right? And I'm like, "That's for football," okay? They're like, "No, buddy. That was for you. And so, typically when that happens, you have a 2% chance of living and getting all of your faculties back." I was grateful they didn't tell me in that moment because I might have flatlined again, telling me that after I had gotten my sea legs definitely made it a little easier to understand.

Host: You mentioned earlier about some of the lessons you've learned about leadership. How about, who are some of the mentors that have been most powerful to you in your career?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: This is probably not the traditional answer. I don't have traditional mentors. I'm a guerrilla mentee. And what I mean by that is what I have found in life is when you tell people and you ask them, "Will you be my mentor?" That's a big word. And sometimes it intimidates people because it overwhelms them. They think, "I already have so much going on in my life. Just one more thing, one more person, one more obligation." So, I do it a little bit differently. I just need you to answer my phone calls, my emails, and my text messages. If you answer my questions, you are mentoring me.

And so, some of the people who have years of answering my calls, Ron Kirk, who's the former mayor of Dallas, who was the U.S. Trade Representative under President Obama, amazing mentor to me. Both he and his wife, they're such great mentors. They introduced me to my wife. That is some full service mentoring. They have just been phenomenal. Other people from time to time that I have appreciated, Freeman Hrabowski, who was the president at University of Maryland, Baltimore County just an extraordinary individual and intellect, was always really, really good about answering my questions.

I will tell you an interesting take on this. One of my students mentored me. She was our two-time student government association president, and we probably mentored each other. But some really amazing lessons about how I communicate with my students came from her. And maybe that doesn't fit the traditional mentor-mentee relationship. But I think it would be fitting to give her that credit.

I worked with some guys years ago, Bob McLaren and Tommy Thomas. Bob used to be the president of the Houston Astros. And he and Tommy created a sports representation agency where I handle the marketing for the players, and they were just two of the very best individuals I've ever met. And just people who inspire me daily to be the best version of myself. I mean, I'm sure there's lots more, but those are the ones that really just sort of jump out at me from the beginning.

Host: As mentioned previously, you are presenting on strategies for leading through change and uncertainty during your upcoming address at ACHE's 2025 Congress on Healthcare Leadership. So, what can the attendees expect to hear in your remarks, would you say?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: They can expect to hear honesty. They can expect to hear vulnerability. They can expect to hear me challenge them to be the best version of themselves. Expect to laugh because we're going to have some fun. And hopefully, I will leave them better than I found them.

Host: And finally, Dr. Sorrell, what about in this ever-changing world, both professionally and otherwise, what inspires you and keeps you optimistic? You're clearly a man of faith and why not considering some of the great fortune you've had and great timing as well, right?

Dr. Michael Sorrell: I mean, honestly, I'm inspired in a very simple way by my family. I just think that my children and my wife should always have the man in their life be someone that they can be proud of and be proud to be associated with. That's my single greatest inspiration.

Now, after that, I think that we are all given gifts to be of service to others. And I'm inspired daily by what I see in communities that are suffering. And it's not inspiration from the standpoint of, "Oh, this is great. It's inspiring me to keep my head down and work harder." Because as long as there are people out here who can't do simple things simply, then I don't think I have time to pat myself on the back and feel great about my accomplishments because in reality, have I really done everything I was capable of doing if I've left other people in substandard circumstances? So, my family and the plights of others is what inspires me every day.

Host: Again, a reminder folks, Dr. Sorrell is a keynote speaker 2025 Congress on Healthcare Leadership, happening March 24th through the 27th in Houston. To learn more and to register, please visit ache.org/congress. Dr. Sorrell, an inspiring, beautiful story. Keep up your great turnaround at Paul Quinn College. Such a pleasure to hear from you and thanks so much again.

Dr. Michael Sorrell: Thank you, Joey, for the honor of being one of your guests. And I wish you the very, very best.

Host: For more information, please visit ache.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social media. I'm Joey Wahler. And thanks again for being part of the Healthcare Executive Podcast from the American College of Healthcare Executives, providing you with insightful commentary and developments in the world of healthcare leadership.