So many of the challenges we face in leadership — especially in medicine — come from people bunkering down inside a single story.
We see things through our role, our training, our pressures… and we assume that’s the whole truth.
At the same time, many of us feel like we’re living fragmented lives — one version of ourselves at work, another at home, another with friends — never quite bringing our whole identity into one place.
And then we place all of that into a system like healthcare, where clinicians, administrators, nurses, specialists, and trainees are all operating under completely different realities… and we wonder why collaboration feels so hard.
Being the bridge is the antidote.
It’s the ability to hold more than one perspective at a time, to integrate the multiple identities you carry, and to help translate between worlds that don’t naturally understand each other.
Bridge-builders reduce friction. They expand understanding. They help people feel seen.
And that is leadership.
Keep That Rolodex
I once had a boss and mentor who told me to “keep my Rolodex.”
What she meant was: don’t just network — remember your connections. Nurture them and value them.
At the time, that advice made sense in a career way. Business school had drilled into us that networking would be one of the most valuable parts of our careers.
But I didn’t yet understand how deeply human that advice really was.
Years later, after moving across the country to a place where we had no built-in network, I worked very intentionally to build a new “Rolodex.” Hospital friends. Neighbors. Dog park crew. Other parents from school.
When we hosted a party to celebrate launching my podcast, the guest list was wildly eclectic — and I loved it. Different circles. Different parts of my life. All in one place.
And what surprised me most?
There were connections between people I had no idea existed.
My kids do this naturally, too.
When my son plans a birthday party, his guest list includes a scout friend, a school friend, a rock climbing pal, and an old buddy from California. None of them know each other — and he doesn’t worry about that at all.
Somewhere along the way, we adults start thinking it’s awkward to mix worlds. Kids don’t. They just bring their whole life into the room.
Being the bridge in this way shows up in 3 ways:
- It allows you to hold multiple perspectives
You don’t assume your view is the only view. You get curious about the pressures and realities shaping other people’s experiences.
- You can also integrate your identities easier
You’re not just “the doctor.”
You’re also a parent, a neighbor, a friend, a human with hobbies and quirks and stories.
Letting those parts exist together actually makes you more resilient, not less professional.
- Being this bridge allows you to translate between worlds
This has been one of my superpowers as a leader. Being born in 1982, I’m a Xennial — the generation who grew up with minimal tech, but adopted it early. I’ve often found myself translating between hospital executives and residents, between different generations, between clinical and administrative perspectives.
This ability to move between worlds builds trust.
Leadership researchers call this boundary spanning. My old boss called it group excellence.
I just call it being the bridge.
Bridge-builders create value because they move information, trust, and coordination across gaps — and that’s where innovation and conflict live.
There’s even research showing that relatively “weak ties” — like simple acquaintances — can have a disproportionately powerful impact on opportunity, information flow, and collaboration.
Your Rolodex isn’t just social. It’s strategic. It’s human. It’s leadership.
So here’s the invitation:
Where in your life are you keeping your worlds separate… when they might actually strengthen each other?
Where could you practice holding more than one perspective — instead of defending just one?
And where might you be uniquely positioned to be the bridge… not because you have all the answers, but because you can help people understand each other?
That in-between space you sometimes feel stuck in?
It might actually be your leadership edge.