Living Like a Leader Series: John Lynch

July 7, 2020

Effective leaders are made up of so many important qualities. However, not all good leaders are built the same. Each leader has their own strengths and weaknesses and truly knowing and embracing them is the beginning of true growth as a leader.

Humility is also an important quality that great leaders possess. Humility allows a person to choose the most effective way of planning, problem solving, leveraging resources, and listening to others’ ideas. Humility allows a person to focus effort in an honest manner without personal hang ups clouding their mind or altering their actions away from the best solutions for their organization.

While discussing what makes great leaders with John Lynch we quickly found that he possesses these foundational qualities. We learned too that he struggled early in his career as a new leader because he didn’t know who he was and often led without truly listening and embracing the strengths of his staff. He expressed to us, “I never said out loud that I thought my ideas were always the best ideas but my actions sure did.” As he grew as a person he also grew as a leader. Humility is where growth as an effective leader began for John.

John began his career out of college working in an information technology (IT) support position. Since that first job in 1991 John has been working in healthcare IT. John continued his career working for Health and Human Services, one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers, and as Chief Information Officer for two of the largest physician practices and the largest hospital system in Arizona. Following these positions he opened John Lynch & Associates in 2012 with his wife Katie.

We asked John to share more about his daily life and what its like for him as a leader today.

Q: What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

I try to consistently pray and thank God for another day to make an impact. My mind doesn’t take very long to switch gears and begin thinking about my schedule, our clients, and how I can best make an impact for our company and employees.

Q: What do you do in the mornings before work?

I love breakfast so after getting showered, dressed and ready to go I make my iced coffee and decide what to prepare. Generally, eggs are my go-to with a variety of veggies mixed in. However, a peanut butter fold-over with my coffee is good too.

Q: What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at work?

My mind is already off and running prior to arriving at work but once I get in, I begin by planning my day. I can’t help myself so regularly I check my emails to make sure nothing important is missed. I work hard to better plan my days, prioritize, and stay organized. This helps me perform at my best for my staff and clients.

Q: Is there anything that makes your physical office setup unique?

My favorite item on my desk is an early picture of me and my wife when we were dating. As my wife, she continues to support me everyday and is my biggest fan. I love it as a little reminder of how important she is to me and that she is always my first priority.

Q: What kind of work do you like to get done before lunch?

My hope is to always do my “heavy hitting” in the morning when I’m sharpest. My schedule varies so this is not always accomplished but I strive to plan my schedule this way regularly.

Q: How much of your time is spent with direct reports?

I would estimate 70% or better consistently. My focus is continually building and encouraging our staff so that they excel personally and professionally knowing that our clients get the best versions of them as I serve them in their needs.

Q: How do you think your routine differs from that of other healthcare executives?

I most often work from my home office when I am not visiting clients, so this provides me the added benefit of hitting the ground running first thing in the morning. I believe this helps my creativity and effectiveness early on in my day.

Q: What is the hardest part of your day?

I think the later part of my day might be considered the “hardest” for me only because I try to really focus and work hard toward my goals while attending to daily tasks. Eventually we all get mentally and physically tired so late in the day becomes more of a challenge to be as effective. I try to combat this by taking brief breaks to stretch and recharge.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your day?

I really enjoy all my days at work from beginning to end. If I accomplish what I’ve set out to do on a particular day I find that very rewarding.

Q: What’s the last thing you do before leaving the office?

I generally say good night to staff and often times talk to them to see how their day was.

Q: Do you work at home?

Yes, I often work from my home office when I’m not visiting clients. I have such a comfortable setting that allows me to focus and accomplish a lot during my day.

Q: How do you unwind at the end of the day or on weekends?

I enjoy my time with my wife. During the week we have dinner together and talk about our day. On the weekends we spend time watching our 12 year old son play soccer. The pandemic has certainly caused a lot of change for us so we have spent more time outside swimming and camping on the weekends. We also enjoy riding our Harley on the back roads north of Phoenix. One thing is true about us – there is never a dull moment!