Human-Centered Leadership: Redefining Communication and Relationship Management in Healthcare

In an era where burnout is rampant and turnover threatens the continuity of care, the healthcare workforce is sending a clear message: Treat us like people, not resources. This session will challenge a growing misconception in healthcare leadership—that being kind, empathetic and communicative is somehow exceptional. In truth, human-centered leadership is not a differentiator—it’s the new baseline. Leveraging decades of executive experience and academic knowledge, David Schreiner, PhD, and Sara Johnson will explore how communication and relationship management, when rooted in values and neuroscience, can build trust, enhance team resilience and directly influence patient outcomes while increasing leader work satisfaction.

Together, they will provide you with actionable frameworks for:

• Building trust through clarity, consistency and compassion


• Replacing performative communication with intentional engagement


• Providing specific tools that allow you to enhance your leadership presence


• Strengthening cross-functional and intergenerational relationships across the healthcare enterprise

Through real-world stories, behavioral science insights, and simple, powerful tools, this session will empower you to make human-centered leadership part of your leadership standard. You will explore neuroscience-informed techniques for building connection and psychological safety with teams; discover ways to reframe everyday communication into acts of meaningful engagement; and commit to practical habits that enhance trust, reduce burnout and increase loyalty among healthcare teams. In 2025, trust and connection are currency. Systems with high staff engagement, strong relationships and healthy communication cultures consistently outperform those that lag in these areas. With rising complexity and uncertainty, leaders must stop treating humanity as a leadership style and start embracing it as a system strategy.