Pat Geraghty

On his first day in the office at GuideWell, before he even interviewed the vice presidents who reported to him, Pat Geraghty dropped into the company’s customer service department, put on a headset, and listened to customer service calls. That simple act changed the culture of the organization into one that makes listening to what customers are saying a part of every leader’s responsibility at the company.

Most leaders demand that change start at the bottom. They say we are going to make these changes, and they are going to start down there. Geraghty believes leaders ought to be the catalyst for change, so he starts up here. 

“If you want people to change, you have to change,” he said in the podcast. “Change has to come and be demonstrated by the top of the organization. I wanted to hear what our customers were saying. I also wanted to see how our frontline was handling the customer. By beginning change at the top, it set the framework that there was a new CEO coming, things were going to be different, so don’t be surprised.”

Under Geraghty’s leadership, GuideWell, whose family of companies includes Florida Blue and Triple-S Management, has moved to the forefront of healthcare transformation, serving more than 38.5 million people across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

A former football player at Colgate University, Geraghty has developed impressive coaching skills and excels as a motivator and strategic thinker. Listeners will enjoy his insights about motivation and quickly assessing what makes individuals and teams click, including lessons such as these:

• How to be the leader each member of your team needs rather than a one size fits all leader.
• Why organizational success should never come down to a single-point of success or failure.
• How to model calm presence and total responsibility to your team when these qualities are needed most.

Resources:

• Learn more about GuideWell and Florida Blue
• Connect with Pat Geraghty on LinkedIn.