122_Karma Doesn’t Need My Help: Practical Tools for Leading with Peace
Tue Feb 03 2026
Healthcare leadership is louder and faster than ever—visibility is constant, pressure is high, and turnover is reshaping teams. This episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast focuses on why Tom McDougal’s book, Karma Doesn’t Need My Help:11 Weekly Lessons to Leadership Success and Peace, matters right now: it gives leaders a simple operating system to make better decisions under pressure without burning out.
McDougal distills eleven short lessons leaders can put to work immediately: begin with the outcome you want and choose the response that gets you there (E+R=O); stop spending energy on things you don’t control; and redirect attention from rumination and score-settling to actions that move results. It’s a tool kit built for real-life conditions—night meetings, public scrutiny, and competing stakeholders—so you can show up steadier for your team and your patients.
What you’ll learn:
A clear framework for Outcome → Response decision-making—E+R=O—that you can use in tense conversations, crises, and daily ops.How to conserve attention by dropping “karmic bookkeeping” and reinvesting time/energy where it affects outcomes.Weekly practices that turn highlights into habits (brief reflection prompts, one behavior to ship each week).Ways to coach your team to respond, not react. Building calmer huddles, cleaner escalations, and better handoffs.How these skills help with today’s realities: turnover, rapid change, and high-visibility roles. If you’re navigating competing demands and want steadier execution, this conversation delivers practical moves you can start on Monday.
About the Author:
Dr. Tom McDougal, author of Karma Doesn’t Need My Help: 11 Weekly Lessons to Leadership Success and Peace, retired in 2024 after operating hospitals for 23 years over a 33-year career. He conceptualized this book more than a decade ago but had to wait for early retirement to publish it to assure its honesty and authenticity. Dr. McDougal holds a doctorate in healthcare leadership, a master’s of science in healthcare administration, a master’s of business administration, and a bachelor’s in business management. He is also a life fellow of ACHE. Tom and his wife, Wendy, just celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary and are the proud parents of Mary Ann and Madden.
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Healthcare leadership is louder and faster than ever—visibility is constant, pressure is high, and turnover is reshaping teams. This episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast focuses on why Tom McDougal’s book, Karma Doesn’t Need My Help:11 Weekly Lessons to Leadership Success and Peace, matters right now: it gives leaders a simple operating system to make better decisions under pressure without burning out. McDougal distills eleven short lessons leaders can put to work immediately: begin with the outcome you want and choose the response that gets you there (E+R=O); stop spending energy on things you don’t control; and redirect attention from rumination and score-settling to actions that move results. It’s a tool kit built for real-life conditions—night meetings, public scrutiny, and competing stakeholders—so you can show up steadier for your team and your patients. What you’ll learn: A clear framework for Outcome → Response decision-making—E+R=O—that you can use in tense conversations, crises, and daily ops.How to conserve attention by dropping “karmic bookkeeping” and reinvesting time/energy where it affects outcomes.Weekly practices that turn highlights into habits (brief reflection prompts, one behavior to ship each week).Ways to coach your team to respond, not react. Building calmer huddles, cleaner escalations, and better handoffs.How these skills help with today’s realities: turnover, rapid change, and high-visibility roles. If you’re navigating competing demands and want steadier execution, this conversation delivers practical moves you can start on Monday. About the Author: Dr. Tom McDougal, author of Karma Doesn’t Need My Help: 11 Weekly Lessons to Leadership Success and Peace, retired in 2024 after operating hospitals for 23 years over a 33-year career. He conceptualized this book more than a decade ago but had to wait for early retirement to publish it to assure its honesty and authenticity. Dr. McDougal holds a doctorate in healthcare leadership, a master’s of science in healthcare administration, a master’s of business administration, and a bachelor’s in business management. He is also a life fellow of ACHE. Tom and his wife, Wendy, just celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary and are the proud parents of Mary Ann and Madden.