At the Women in Medicine Summit, Dartmouth Health CEO Joanne M. Conroy, MD, urged women clinicians to adopt a broader model of leadership built on authenticity, collective problem-solving, clear expectations and emotional control.
Use four pillars—authenticity, purpose, presence and purposeful decisions—to guide leadership choices.
Set realistic expectations for team members and manage emotional reactions to keep discussions productive.
What to adopt instead of command-and-control
Conroy offered four concrete pillars for women who want to lead differently:
Engage people to build ownership. Conroy described a process: invite participation early, make contributors feel important, and use collective input to produce a stronger outcome with built-in accountability.
Address imposter feelings directly. For women who struggle with imposter syndrome, Conroy advised self-validation: recognize your accomplishments and give yourself credit rather than waiting for others to do it.
Conroy framed the moment as an opening for women to redefine leadership for their institutions and communities. With relatively few existing role models that match the collaborative style she describes, the responsibility falls to current and emerging women leaders to demonstrate an alternative approach.
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