David Leighton
Episode 88

Narrator: Welcome, friends, to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira, with his guest today, and discover the moments that shape us, our families, and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira: Welcome, friends, to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. I am delighted with my new guest today, and I'm going to introduce you in a second to who they are. They will share their name. But if you are brand new to this podcast, we have 100 questions, they become more vulnerable as you get close to 100, and they're about stories and experiences that shape you into the leader that you are today. So, without any hesitation, diving into question number one. What's your name? And does anybody ever mispronounce it?

David Leighton: Thanks. I appreciate being here. I'm David Leighton. I'm the administrator for the Ukiah Valley Medical Center.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right.

David Leighton: And yes, they do mispronounce Leighton quite often.

Japhet De Oliveira: What do they say?

David Leighton: Lighten.

Japhet De Oliveira: Lighten. Okay. We can do that. And do you prefer David or Dave?

David Leighton: Dave.

Japhet De Oliveira: Dave. All right. Brilliant stuff. So, now how long have you been the administrator for?

David Leighton: So, I've been in this role, it will be two years at the end of this month.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great.

David Leighton: Yeah. I had come up here the first year ... So, it's probably not a question, but we'll just get into it.

Japhet De Oliveira: I like it. I like it.

David Leighton: So, I had spent quite a number of years in a capitated system, running a hospital down in the East Bay-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... in Richmond.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: It was not very fulfilling, in the sense that I really was looking for something that was more mission-oriented.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And so, I came up here about two years ago-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... in a role of Director of Performance Improvement.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: So, I stepped out of that role, and was really trying to do something that was meaningful-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and more mission-based. And then, my leader at the time transitioned-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and because I'd had an extensive background in operations-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... I was asked to step in and do some operations work. And then, when we changed to our network, I was asked to come into this role, and so it's been the administrator for just about a year.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, good for you. I'm glad you're doing this, as well, and helping us to lead in this space. When you wake up in the morning, first drink of the day. Do you have coffee, tea, liquid green smoothie, or what?

David Leighton: I had been doing coffee. I originally came from the Midwest-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... and so, I'm one of those that grew up with a pot of coffee on the stove all the time. So, I've really been weaning myself off of coffee, leaning more towards juice.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. All right. Hey, good for you. That's good. Is it as good for you?

David Leighton: It is.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, yeah. All right. So, you said Midwest. So, where were you born?

David Leighton: I was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right.

David Leighton: But my parents transitioned, and we moved a lot. I had five siblings born in different states.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: But early on, we settled in Southern California, so I spent a lot of my formative years in Southern California.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good. When you were a child, what did you imagine you were going to grow up to be?

David Leighton: Blue collar work.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah?

David Leighton: Very young, my father owned print shops, commercial print shops-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... back in the day when we really had commercial print shops.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: And from a very young age, we were basically employed to help.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: We weren't employed. It was part of our function as a kid growing up, that two of my brothers and I really helped around the print shop, and so I just always kind of assumed that-

Japhet De Oliveira: That's what you were going to do.

David Leighton: ... this was what I was going to do. In fact, prior to my moving from Southern California back to the Midwest-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... I owned a commercial print shop-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, okay.

David Leighton: ... down in the city of Orange, my wife and I.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. Wow.

David Leighton: It was exciting.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. If people were to describe your personality, Dave, would they say you are an extrovert, an introvert, and would you agree?

David Leighton: Definitely introvert.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And it's kind of hard being in leadership roles when you're more introvert.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Oftentimes, I think people feel I'm standoffish when I really take more time to think and process-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... probably than people that are more extrovert.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah. Actually, I read a really interesting article about can you be a leader as an introvert. It was really positive about there actually are different styles. And so, yeah, I'm with you on that. Superb. And then, habits. Are you an early riser or late night owl?

David Leighton: 3:30, 4 o'clock every morning. Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: I get up-

Japhet De Oliveira: Is that early, friends? 3:30? I don't know if the sun's risen anywhere in the world. Okay.

David Leighton: Yeah, I'm up pretty early. I've got a devotional routine I do every day.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: That's important to me.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Quiet time's important to me, and that's really about the only time I've got to really have Dave time.

Japhet De Oliveira: It recharges and grounds you?

David Leighton: It does.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. That's really good. So, this morning you woke up at 3:30, 4 o'clock. What was the first thought that went through your mind?

David Leighton: Typically, I'm concerned about the facility. What's going on?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: What did I miss?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Are things okay?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: It's important for me to know that we're providing great care, and that we've got staff here that we can rely on to provide care in our absence. So, I like to check Radar.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, yeah, yeah. For sure.

David Leighton: What may have gone south overnight-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: ... that I need to know about-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... so there's really no surprises.

Japhet De Oliveira: For anybody who's thinking about what Radar is. It's not nautical, but it's definitely, definitely a great system internally in healthcare to be able to recognize that there's any kind of things that went off that we should be aware of. Yeah. So, we report things. Associates are encouraged to report through radar.

David Leighton: Right. Correct. Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, that's great. You read Radar. That's great. Leadership question. Are you a backseat driver?

David Leighton: I've been in leadership roles for quite a while-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and I think the one thing that I've seen and I've realized consistently is that leaders are successful when their team's successful. And so, I really make it my focus to make sure I'm supporting the team-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... giving them resources, taking away barriers. I'm not one that likes to get up as an introvert, get up in public and look for accolades and things.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: It's more about how can I support our team to do the best they can do.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. That's good. All right, Dave. Well, the floor is open. We've done the first few here. And so, now you get to choose between 11 and 100 where you'd like to go. Where would you like to go first?

David Leighton: Let's go to 20.

Japhet De Oliveira: 20. All right. Tell us something that you would rate 10 out of 10.

David Leighton: What would I rate-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... 10 out of 10? This is going to sound a little corny, but I'm pretty happy with my life right now.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's great. Well, that's great.

David Leighton: Yeah, are well. Kids are good.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Relationship with the wife is good.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: I'm in a position that allows me to care for my wife's elderly parents that are living with us.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

David Leighton: The work I do is meaningful-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... which is meaningful to me. That's why I do it.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. Well, and you said earlier you wanted to do something that was aligned missionally?

David Leighton: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, this is great. This is great, Dave. Hey, that's not corny. That's fantastic. All right, so that was 20. Where next? Up or down?

David Leighton: Let's go 25.

Japhet De Oliveira: 25. Oh, share the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.

David Leighton: I think the most beautiful thing is probably been the birth of my kids. Two wonderful kids-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... really blessed to have two kids.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: One lives here in Ukiah, which is amazing.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, that's fantastic.

David Leighton: The other one is with his family out in Iowa.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, okay.

David Leighton: So, yeah, being a part of that and having that experience was just wonderful.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah. There's something special about having kids right?

David Leighton: There is.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Growing up, when you're a kid-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... you never think about what your life is going to be like and what the impact kids can have on you, but-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... I wouldn't trade it at all.

Japhet De Oliveira: I know. And for those who can't have kids, it's something amazing to be able to be part of somebody else's kids in their life and love them. Yeah.

David Leighton: Yeah. I've known providers that have chosen or been unable to have children-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and they love the experience of being around them.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And so, it's something, I think, children in general bring joy to people.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, they are. They are. That's fantastic. All right, so where next after the 25?

David Leighton: Let's do 32.

Japhet De Oliveira: 32. If you were featured on the local news, then what would the news story likely be?

David Leighton: Well, most recently-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... it's been welcome to the Adventist system-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: ... and to the role.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: That's really what it's been. And it's been more about how are you and how you getting along? And not only that, what makes you the right person for this role-

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure.

David Leighton: ... and how are you going to help us move the organization?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, absolutely.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, yeah, it'll be a lot of that right now.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: It was great. All right, good. That was 32. Where next?

David Leighton: Let's go up. Let's do 41.

Japhet De Oliveira: 41. What are you excited about in life right now?

David Leighton: New grand baby.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh really?

David Leighton: In January 1st-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. All right.

David Leighton: ... which was exciting.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. All right.

David Leighton: Like I said, I'm really thrilled in life right now about where I'm at in my stage of my career-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and my ability to do. I didn't come up here looking for a big role, a big change.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: I came up here looking to add value to an organization. I believe that I've been blessed and put in this role for a reason, and so I'm just grateful for that.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's good.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. That's fantastic. All right, where next?

David Leighton: Moving up.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, all right.

David Leighton: Let's do 49.

Japhet De Oliveira: 49. All right. What are you currently learning about and why?

David Leighton: Right now, the current learnings have really been focused, I think, a lot like you've experienced with us today with our incubate.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Phenomenal day.

David Leighton: The work we're doing around the incubate is community involvement about how do we collectively, not only as a healthcare organization, but as a community, provide the tools and the resources and the space for our providers to thrive.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: It's very difficult being here in rural America-

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure.

David Leighton: ... providing healthcare for the underserved and underrepresented.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And so, learning how we can be better stewards at the resources we have-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and how we can be more effective at involving our community and all of the stakeholders-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... on providing an environment and a space for, not only our providers, but also our mid-levels and our staff to thrive because we can't do it on our own. I mean, we can put money at hiring, but if the environment is not conducive for people to thrive and enjoy, they'll go somewhere else for money.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And so, it's how do we learn to do that collectively as a group, and it's learning from my perspective that I don't have to have the answers.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: I have to be able to play my part-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and help people be successful to make sure that environment's conducive.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. And if you think about your own story, I mean, you came into Adventist Health to work in this place because you want a mission alignment and Incubate is very much about finding providers that are mission aligned and are willing to serve in rural areas, which is hard to do, right?

David Leighton: Right.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: It is, because it can't be all about the money.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: The system is really broken.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: We can't continue to try and compete with some of the larger organizations from a compensation perspective-

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, yeah.

David Leighton: ... but we can get people that are more mission aligned.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. It is a pressure point in all rural areas in America.

David Leighton: It is.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Yeah, it is.

Japhet De Oliveira: Everybody's feeling it.

David Leighton: I think what makes it different here for us in Ukiah Valley and in Mendocino County-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... is the willingness for everyone to lean in and do this work.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. That's great. Good. All right. Where next, sir?

David Leighton: Let's go to 53.

Japhet De Oliveira: 53. All right. Can you tell us about at least one important person in your life?

David Leighton: Yeah, at least one important person in my life.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: There's been many. I had a really high regard, I still have high regard, for my older brother. I don't know how much of the story-

Japhet De Oliveira: No, no. I want to hear. I want to hear.

David Leighton: I don't know how much of this the story you want to know.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, tell us.

David Leighton: So, early on, I told you I was from Southern California.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: I was 16 and he was 17-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... and my parents decided to move to Iowa.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, all right.

David Leighton: We didn't.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. You and your older brother?

David Leighton: Me and my older brother.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, all right.

David Leighton: I had met, which who is now my wife at the time-

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, yeah. Oh.

David Leighton: ... and I wasn't going to leave to go to Iowa.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And so, our parents said good luck.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: And they took my other four siblings and they moved to Iowa-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... and left me and my brother in Southern California.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: So, I had to drop out of high school. He had to drop out of high school.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow.

David Leighton: We had to get jobs and really become self-sufficient at 16 and 17 in Southern California.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, my. What? Okay, Dave. Wow.

David Leighton: So, I held him. He, unfortunately, passed away.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, I'm sorry.

David Leighton: It's been about 12, 13 years.

Japhet De Oliveira: I'm sorry.

David Leighton: 11 months older than me, so we were really close. And so, it was just really special.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Wow. And you never forget them.

David Leighton: No, absolutely not.

Japhet De Oliveira: And nothing fills that space.

David Leighton: Right.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Wow. What a journey. What a memory.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: What a memory to be 16, 17 and to try and find a way. And so, you did it and you then went back to school. Is that what you did?

David Leighton: Yeah, I did. So, my wife and I, we dated for about three years-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and I got married when I was 19-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... a long time ago. We had the print shop in Southern California, and it was really very difficult, very difficult with two young children.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And so, my parents got really ill, and we actually sold the house and the print shop and moved to Iowa to help them.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And I went to work in a durable goods manufacturing company-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... making large industrial equipment, bailors, rakes, those type of things.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

David Leighton: I decided I needed to get an education.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And so, I went back and got a bachelor's degree in business. And then, yeah, wife, kids-

Japhet De Oliveira: Was that hard?

David Leighton: It was very hard-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... working full-time.

Japhet De Oliveira: Working full-time and being older.

David Leighton: And being older.

Japhet De Oliveira: And doing it.

David Leighton: Absolutely. I loved the education experience-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and went on to get a master's degree.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: At the time, I stepped out of, I was a plant manager from one of those positions. I went into the human resources, still looking for that missional work. And I became the plant manager for about 800 people. And during one social event, I met the local CEO of the hospital-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... who was looking for-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... an HR director. And so, I left the manufacturing-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and became an HR director for a hospital, which really got me into-

Japhet De Oliveira: Into this whole...

David Leighton: Healthcare work. And about six months into that, he moved me into an executive director of operations.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: I had a lot of experience in operations-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and it transitioned fairly well. And so, I did that for several years for hospital. And then, I was recruited to another hospital on the east side of Iowa-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... a critical access hospital, where I became the Chief Operating Officer, which was really exciting. I didn't know enough about hospitals, and so learn as you go. And we had a skilled nursing facility, and I had to work with physicians in the clinic.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And during that time, I went back to pursue my PhD. So, I was-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, Dave. Okay, Dave.

David Leighton: ... doing that type of work and-

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure. As you do.

David Leighton: Yeah, exactly. And so, it has just been really very exciting, very challenging, very fulfilling life for me.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: (Laughing) Sorry those were not questions.

Japhet De Oliveira: This is not even questions ask. No, I love this. I'm going to have to ask now. What did you do your PhD in?

David Leighton: I was ABD, and it was in human capital management.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. Well, ABD for everybody is all but dissertation.

David Leighton: Correct.

Japhet De Oliveira: And Human Capital Management. Fantastic.

David Leighton: I came back out here to go to work for Kaiser.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: They recruited, and I came out and became an executive in the Kaiser system where I spent 10 years before I came up here.

Japhet De Oliveira: Now, I also have to ask where? And thank you for sharing that story about your brother and you, and a pretty phenomenal journey that you had in your life. But where did this desire for missional, where did it come from?

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: I mean, it seems to be like something from a very early stage in your life.

David Leighton: Early on.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: So, think about a young 16-year-old kid, Southern California. No parents. It was pretty wild. A pretty rebellious time. I met my wife. Really grounded me. We were actually at a revival at a Knotts Berry Farm-

Japhet De Oliveira: Really? Wow.

David Leighton: Yeah, where I actually became a Christian and changed that whole trajectory. Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's beautiful. That's beautiful. I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing that.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's inspirational.

David Leighton: Way more than you wanted to know.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, no, no. It's actually perfect. It's perfect. All right. I don't know where you want to go. Where would you like to go next?

David Leighton: Let's go to 67.

Japhet De Oliveira: 67. All right. What's the best picture you've ever taken, and why?

David Leighton: The best picture I've ever taken. Again, probably more than you want to know.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, it's okay.

David Leighton: I have a picture that we took. So, several years ago, it's been quite a while since it was my brother and I.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: We were celebrating one of his large birthdays-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... and we decided to take motorcycles and go to Sturgis.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, okay. All right.

David Leighton: And I brought my mother along, who has since passed away, but that's what was special to me.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Because I've got a picture of both him and her on his motorcycle. So, yeah, I think that was the best.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Hey, that's fantastic. All right, where next, sir?

David Leighton: Let's do 42.

Japhet De Oliveira: 42. All right. Tell us about the story behind the photo on your cell phone. The background photo on your cell phone. So, what is the photo on your cell phone? As he pulls it out. You'll have to describe it.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Let me see it, and then you'll have to describe it.

David Leighton: So, you would think a parent-

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: ... a grandparent, I would have pictures of my children or my wife.

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure. Seems reasonable.

David Leighton: It's a Harley.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. It's a Harley. Yeah. I hope that they hear this podcast.

David Leighton: Yeah, they're going to turn it off right away. It's like, "Wait, I don't need to hear from this guy."

Japhet De Oliveira: So, a Harley's really special for you?

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: I mean, it goes back, again, to my time with my brother. When we were young, 16, we couldn't afford anything, so we had little Honda motorcycles.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: In fact, I went to pick my wife up on our first date on a motorcycle.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: Her family is Latina. She's Latina. And that didn't go over well with the parents, but motorcycles have been part of our life for a long time.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: She rides with me. Yeah. And so, this is actually a picture of her bike we got a couple of years ago.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, really? Oh, nice.

David Leighton: I still haven't been able to get her on it by herself, but it's still technically hers.

Japhet De Oliveira: One day.

David Leighton: Exactly.

Japhet De Oliveira: One day. That's good. That's fantastic. All right, where next?

David Leighton: Let's do 57.

Japhet De Oliveira: 57. If you had to endorse, oh, this is good. If you had to endorse a brand, what would it be, and why?

David Leighton: If I had to endorse a brand.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: I would endorse Adventist Health. I like Harley's.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah. I know.

David Leighton: Yeah. I've done that for quite a while. But the Adventist Health brand, to me, stands for more than just healthcare. It's one of the things that drew me here because when I came out from Iowa for my previous role-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... that healthcare system talked about mind, body, and spirit.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: But they don't refer to spirit in the same way we would here in Adventist.

Japhet De Oliveira: We would here, yeah.

David Leighton: It's more about mental health-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... which is great.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: But when you're looking for and you're moved by missional work, that's what really made it for me. And so, when we think about Adventist Health and the mission of Adventist Health, that's why it resonates and that's why I would represent and, yeah-

Japhet De Oliveira: And endorse the brand.

David Leighton: ... endorse the brand.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. It's good to hear. Since you're leading this area, it's great to see.

David Leighton: We have opportunities. We have opportunities, no doubt.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: But at the core, it's really about how do we provide for the people that if we were not here, would probably not otherwise have the healthcare that they really truly need.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's true. That's true. Bringing that quality. I'm with you. Okay, good. All right, where next?

David Leighton: Let's move to 70.

Japhet De Oliveira: 70. All right. Tell us about one thing, this is great for you, that you are determined to accomplish.

David Leighton: I'm determined to accomplish efficiency and throughput here.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: One of the challenges that we hear is access. And it's not unique to us-

Japhet De Oliveira: Nope.

David Leighton: ... it's a universal healthcare problem. But I've had a lot of background in Lean Six Sigma performance improvement work. I've done that for many, many years, and I'm determined that we are going to fix some of our access problems.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great.

David Leighton: That's really what my goal and mission is. I think it's a fundamental responsibility of healthcare to be able to have that access. We talk about it, but we really need to be able to provide, not only for our physician satisfaction and their efficiencies, which you can't have access without that. So, that's really what I'm about is how do we get better at what we do.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, that's great. Great. Fantastic. All right. Where next, sir?

David Leighton: That was 70. Let's do 74.

Japhet De Oliveira: 74. Oh, this is great for you. What gives you hope?

David Leighton: What gives me hope?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: I find hope in my faith, of course.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: I find hope in that the staff here, the providers here, everyone really truly has a heart for the community and wants to do better. And that gives me hope from where I've had previous roles.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: Their hope had been in volumes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Interesting.

David Leighton: More money.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: If we can just get more, things will be better.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Here, it's not about the volumes, it's not about the money. Those are important, but the hope is really that I see the staff and they genuinely care for their patients and their community. I see the providers and their heart for the work they do here, and that's what gives me hope is that we're all pulling together.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. That's fantastic. Good. Good. Thank you, Dave. All right, that was 74. So, up or down?

David Leighton: Did I do something in the sixties? Let's do 64.

Japhet De Oliveira: 64. Oh, when you look back at your life, tell us about, what was I thinking? A moment where it was like, "What was I thinking?" Let's not go to 16 frequently.

David Leighton: Well, younger-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: ... and kids-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... uprooting them, moving to Iowa was a real challenge.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: I didn't have work. My wife didn't have work. We just knew that my parents, at the time, needed help, and we were going to go figure it out. And so, fortunately, I was able to get a position and worked up through that. But it was one of those, what are you doing? Why are we doing this? My in-laws, my wife was the first one to get married. I was the first one of our kids to get married.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: She was the first one to leave California.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And they kept asking why. And frankly, for quite a while, we did also.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: But I think having the faith and the strength that we had together in our relationship and knowing that we were called to do something different kept this moving forward.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. Well, and you've modeled then in your family that taking care of family is really important. Right? Right?

David Leighton: Yeah, absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, so it must make your family very tight-knit.

David Leighton: We are.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And like I said, I have the privilege now of having my in-laws-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... live on our property with us.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: And so, they're in their upper 80s-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and so, it's great to be able to care for them.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good to be able to care.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. Good. Modeling it, as well.

David Leighton: Modeling it, right.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. All right. Where next, sir?

David Leighton: Let's do 78.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. Oh, tell us about what gives you childlike joy.

David Leighton: Wow. What gives me childlike joy?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: That's a tough one. There's a lot of things that bring me joy. My family, of course-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: ... spending time with them. The work that is now really very fulfilling in my life.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Those I think are what really ... I come from that blue collar background that work was so vitally important.

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure.

David Leighton: And, like I said, when I was younger and I was a child, we were put to work in the print shop-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and we'd come home from school, and that's what you did and you worked. And that was really the measure of a person-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... was how much you worked and how well you did that work. And so, I'd always been work and career and goal oriented. It's just really joyful now to be able to connect the dots with something that's more meaningful work-wise than just work for the sake of work.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. I like that. That's good. That's good. All right, where next.

David Leighton: Dare we go to 80?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, sure. Is that where you want to go?

David Leighton: We'll go.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. 80 itself? Or in the 80s?

David Leighton: 80 itself.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, all right.

David Leighton: Let's try that.

Japhet De Oliveira: How would you like to change in the future?

David Leighton: I think the one thing that really presses on me is that whole thing we talked about introvert, extrovert-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: ... that I don't want to be perceived as standoff, but I also have to be true to myself that I'm not going to be an artificial extrovert for the sake of being an extrovert.

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure, sure.

David Leighton: But I think there's a balance-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

David Leighton: ... between how can I get out of my shell and let people like this-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... see the real me and know what's really behind-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... Dave and what really drives Dave. So, I think that's what I really look to do is how do I keep working on being a better person for my family, for the organization, and maybe making sure my voice is heard-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... not just always being behind the scenes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's good. That's good. I like the challenge. It's good.

David Leighton: It is a challenge.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. We have time for two more. So, where do you want to go with your last two?

David Leighton: Let's do 84.

Japhet De Oliveira: 84. All right. Oh, this is great for you. Where do you go to find peace?

David Leighton: I like a lot of quiet reflection time.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: I currently live down in Santa Rosa, which is about an hour south of here.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay.

David Leighton: So, my commute's an hour up-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and an hour back when I'm not here staying with my daughter at her house.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

David Leighton: And it's that quiet time, I think, that gives me the ability to reflect on things. What went well, what may not have gone well, who do I need to think, who do I need to pray for-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... who do I need to ask forgiveness from? So, it's that peaceful time, and we've looked at relocating. And while it's very appealing to be really close-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... it's also selfish that that's my quiet time.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: So, I think having that commute gives me that ability-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... to really be more reflective than I may not otherwise be.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. That's good.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: You're making it work.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. That's good. I like that.

David Leighton: And my daughter's close-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... and she's got an extra apartment, so it's always nice to be able to stay there.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, last one. Which number would you like to go?

David Leighton: Let's do middle-ish of the ground at 68.

Japhet De Oliveira: 68. All right. Oh, this is great. If you could learn one new professional skill, what would it be?

David Leighton: A new professional skill.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Wow. I didn't know that was going to be a challenging one.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's okay. This is good.

David Leighton: I would really like to be able to, maybe not a professional skill for me, but really be able to live a day in the life of one of our providers to truly understand the complexities of their world.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: It's easy to hear that, "I'm frustrated, I see this many patients. I can't get this. This is a challenge-"

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... but I've always been, maybe it's because of my background in performance improvement, but I've always been one about going to the floor and seeing the problems. And so, I think there's really an opportunities for me to just be able to-

Japhet De Oliveira: Immerse yourself.

David Leighton: ... immerse myself-

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: ... in the world of a physician to really have a better understanding. I'm never going to know that, right? Because I'm not going to be a provider. But I could understand a day in the life and maybe understand some of the pain points.

Japhet De Oliveira: It will build your empathy, absolutely.

David Leighton: It will build my empathy, and it'll really help to understand a perspective that I only have looking from the outside in.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah. I like that a lot. That's great actually. That's good for everybody, right?

David Leighton: Yeah. Empathy-

Japhet De Oliveira: For anybody that you take care of and you lead-

David Leighton: Right.

Japhet De Oliveira: ... it'd be good for you to be able to delve into that world.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: What a fitting way to end this podcast because, in many ways, Dave, I'm encouraging people to do the same thing. Sit down with someone, ask them good questions, listen because then you get to know who they are-

David Leighton: Right.

Japhet De Oliveira: ... and you get to work with them better. You get to understand. And you grow, I grow, we all grow together.

David Leighton: Right.

Japhet De Oliveira: So, this is great. I think I would like to encourage people to do the same thing.

David Leighton: I would do that, also. I mean, I think we all have come from a different walk of life.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David Leighton: We all have different experiences.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: One experience is not better than the other.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: It's just different.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

David Leighton: And I think the more we can understand people's perspective, the better we're going to be towards solving our problems that we share.

Japhet De Oliveira: Fantastic. Well, Dave, thank you again. It was a pleasure to connect.

David Leighton: My pleasure. Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. And until we connect again, God bless everybody and take care of you.

Narrator: Thank you for joining us for The Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch, and submit your story and experience at adventisthealth.org/story. The Story & Experience Podcast was brought to you by Adventist Health through the Office of Culture.