How Not to Live With Chaos
Tue Jan 27 2026
In this episode, Ken speaks with Meghan Scanlon, Director of Operational Excellence at Penn State Health, for a candid and hopeful conversation about a question many healthcare leaders quietly wrestle with: Why does chaos persist—even when we know better systems exist?Rather than placing blame on individuals, Meghan reframes the issue as one of implicit learning and inherited systems. Most leaders aren’t choosing chaos intentionally; they’re often operating within patterns they were taught, rewarded for, or never given the time or support to redesign. The result is a culture of firefighting and heroics that feels necessary—but ultimately limits performance, safety, and sustainability.The conversation explores how leaders can move beyond individual excellence to team-based performance, drawing lessons from sports, coaching, and high-reliability organizations. Meghan emphasizes that real progress comes when leaders act as coaches, build capability across the system, and create environments where small problems are surfaced early—before they become crises.
Ultimately, this episode is a message of optimism. Healthcare doesn’t need more heroics. It needs better systems, stronger coaching, and the courage to make the invisible visible. When leaders commit to developing operating systems that support learning, safety, and alignment, better outcomes—for patients, teams, and leaders themselves—are not just possible, they’re repeatable.
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In this episode, Ken speaks with Meghan Scanlon, Director of Operational Excellence at Penn State Health, for a candid and hopeful conversation about a question many healthcare leaders quietly wrestle with: Why does chaos persist—even when we know better systems exist?Rather than placing blame on individuals, Meghan reframes the issue as one of implicit learning and inherited systems. Most leaders aren’t choosing chaos intentionally; they’re often operating within patterns they were taught, rewarded for, or never given the time or support to redesign. The result is a culture of firefighting and heroics that feels necessary—but ultimately limits performance, safety, and sustainability.The conversation explores how leaders can move beyond individual excellence to team-based performance, drawing lessons from sports, coaching, and high-reliability organizations. Meghan emphasizes that real progress comes when leaders act as coaches, build capability across the system, and create environments where small problems are surfaced early—before they become crises. Ultimately, this episode is a message of optimism. Healthcare doesn’t need more heroics. It needs better systems, stronger coaching, and the courage to make the invisible visible. When leaders commit to developing operating systems that support learning, safety, and alignment, better outcomes—for patients, teams, and leaders themselves—are not just possible, they’re repeatable.