Keynote speaker, Donna Hughes, presents at Lemoyne College on Conscious Leadership and Culturally Competent Healthcare
Le Moyne College’s Madden School of Business recently presented Conscious Leadership and Culturally Competent Healthcare. Donna M. Hughes, Chief People Officer at Emblem Health, was the keynote speaker at this prestigious event. Hughes has helped build a talented, diverse team whose members are empowered to bring a wealth of experiences, and culture to the organization's strategic decision-making processes.
At the event, Donna spoke about how she was able to create an environment of empathy, awareness, and responsibility:
“My personal values inform how I lead…gratitude, faith, and service.
I am thankful for my family and for everyone on my journey who supported and promoted me. I am thankful in the sense that I know that there aren’t enough women and women of color in the C-suite. It just has been a slow crawl and hasn’t happened yet. I know that the position that I am in is one that holds a lot of responsibility and I need to be mindful of that. I have to stay aware of my opportunity to bring about positive change.
“Also… if I know it’s going to be a particularly challenging day, I pray for clarity of thought and speech so that I can be a great support to individuals.
“Service is also a focus of mine; putting others first, putting the mission first. To me, being a great leader is taking myself out of it quite frankly. I hone in on how I can help others to reach their highest potential. I do that by coaching. I do not come to the room with all of the answers and I do not know all of the answers. I come to the room with the spirit of being a coach, inviting others into that dialogue, and asking powerful questions. This helps everyone bring their diversity of thought, make the discussions richer, and come to the right conclusion and solutions. I approach leadership as a coach.”
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About Donna M. Hughes: Donna is a human resources executive leader, attorney, and leadership coach with 25 years of experience in various industries. Donna uses her diverse background to drive transformative business solutions. Her legal knowledge aids her in driving business objectives that are clear and considerate of risk management. Donna applies the principles of servant leadership and coaches individuals and teams to reach their highest potential. She is committed to supporting the underserved through her volunteerism and is passionate about coaching the next generation of business and community leaders.
