Business
Dick Clark is CEO at The Portland Clinic, the oldest physician-owned, multi-specialty clinic in the Portland area. The Portland Clinic has around 500 employees and has been operational for over 100 years. Dick joins Jared Siegel today to share his insights on communication, mentorship and leadership as a lifelong learner and avid reader with 40 years of work experience. “I think as business leaders we understand that communication is really a two-way street, and it starts with listening before talking,” Dick remarks. “In any conversation, you should listen before you talk and gain a perspective of where that person is coming from, and then when you do talk, you have to be honest and straightforward.” Eye contact makes for more authentic communication, according to Dick. You can also pick up on what a person is or isn’t saying by their tone of voice and mood. The current pandemic has fatigued the average person, Dick says, which is influencing how we communicate with each other. He advises, “I think we have to judge where a person is at today. [We have to ask ourselves] ‘are they able to have this conversation now, or do they need to be doing something else?’” Jared asks Dick what people should consider when looking for a mentor. “I think you should seek people who are willing to tell you the truth and say ‘that is not a good idea,’” he replies. “I think you should seek out people who are going to give you a perspective opinion and not just the answer that you want.” The best mentors have the most experience. They can offer advice based on that experience; they can share with you what helped them succeed, and they can tell you about their failures, so you learn from their mistakes. They are good listeners and provide excellent encouragement. Jared asks Dick what changes the Portland Health clinic may need to embrace over the next 3-5 years. “Due to the emergency of COVID-19, we have embraced telehealth… It can't do everything, but it definitely has a role for the future, and a link to that is the immediacy of people that do their own research into their own health care. You need to have a balance between what you can research on your own and what you can trust a doctor to provide,” he responds. Resources Dick Clark on LinkedIn