Shannon Stephenson is the CEO at Cempa Community Care, a Chattanooga-based health care organization with the mission of championing healthy communities by providing affordable, compassionate and high-quality care through advancing comprehensive support services and person-centered best practices. Among the organization's recent accolades, Cempa has won Edge magazine's Champions of Health Care Community Outreach Award (2019); was presented the Governor's Award of Excellence for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic (2021); has been recognized by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce as the Small Business of the Year in the nonprofit sector (2022); and was named one of Chattanooga's Best Places to Work by Edge magazine (2022).
What books have you read and recommended to others that influence your leadership style and how you've developed your career?
"Influential Leadership" by Michael Frisina. Though this book is written to health care leaders, the principles and insights that Dr. Frisina covers are applicable to leaders in any setting. The main premise is that, although leaders get things done, an influential leader does more than that. They are also able to better the lives of those who work at the organizations, as well as for those for whom it serves.
Dr. Frisina's belief is that if enough leaders across the health care landscape adopt the thesis of "influential leadership," not only will their respective organizations -- and the people powering them forward--thrive, but they can also change the entire industry for the better. Not long after reading this book, I had the chance to introduce Dr. Frisina at a conference, and it was a true honor.
What books have you recently read for pleasure that you're telling others about?
"Think Again" by Adam Grant. Though I've recently read "Think Again" for pleasure, it does apply to my work as a chief executive. One of the things that made it so impactful is that the primary concept he addresses comes across in such an intuitive way, even though it turns the way we've thought about the topic upside down.
Grant argues that we have, for far too long, assigned intelligence solely to our ability to think and learn. He writes that, yes, those are important markers of intelligence, but an often overlooked set of cognitive skills is a person's capacity to rethink and unlearn.
Whether it's our personal beliefs and relationships and how we view our place in the world, or how we approach problem-solving and leading an organization, our ability to cast off old dogmas and stigmas are incredibly important variables in being change agents for good.
What is next on your to-read list?
Getting back to Michael Frisina, "Leading with Your Upper Brain" is the upcoming sequel to "Influential Leadership." It is available for pre-sale now with an early-2023 release date.
From a brief article I recently read, he writes that, "it's vital to engage team members' upper brains, which control critical reasoning, judgment, and creativity. When that positive connection is lacking, leaders risk provoking team members' lower brains--which govern fear and survival behaviors--and creating a toxic workplace." I am very excited about this forthcoming book.
On a non-business note, James Patterson just released the latest in the "Women's Murder Club" series, so I will be adding "22 Seconds" to my shopping cart as soon as possible!