Inside the Mind of Healthcare CEO Jon Doolittle

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“Everybody's a leader because everybody has influence. The next question is how do you help people lead themselves to success and a culture of ownership.”

— Jon Doolittle, President and CEO, Missouri Hospital Association

Leadership looks different when the stakes are real.

When the decisions aren’t trial and error.
When the work is complex.
When people are counting on you to get it right.

That’s the environment Jon Doolittle leads in every day.

On the latest episode of The Chad Carden Podcast, I sat down with Jon Doolittle, President & CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association. I've known Jon for years, but this conversation reinforced just how grounded, thoughtful, and clear he is in the way he approaches leadership. 

At the core of Jon’s philosophy is servant leadership. He doesn’t frame leadership as authority or position; he frames it as responsibility. In his words, his job is “taking care of people who take care of people.” That belief shapes how he builds culture, supports teams, and makes decisions that impact hospitals and communities across the state.

In this episode, we discuss the following.

• How servant leadership shows up in real, practical ways.
• Why humility and curiosity are essential traits for leaders who want to scale impact.
• Why leadership is a discipline that has to be learned, practiced, and refined.
• How presence, boundaries, and alignment allow leaders to sustain growth over time.
• Best practices for emerging professionals as they build their leadership foundation.

This conversation is shaped by years of leading people, running organizations, and navigating complexity where trust and culture directly affect outcomes.

Jon’s perspective is a strong reminder of what leadership is meant to look like when it actually matters.

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