Lead True

JEFF THOMPSON, MD, is executive advisor and chief executive officer emeritus at Gundersen Health System, pediatrician, author, and speaker on values-based leadership.Jeff’s experience in leadership is far-reaching, having led diverse teams, projects, and divisions, before holding multiple senior executive roles, including fourteen years as a CEO responsible for a staff of seven thousand, hundreds of thousands of patients, and a billion dollars of the community’s money within the Gundersen Health System. His long experience as intensive care pediatrician and senior executive has shown him over and over again how leading from one’s values has the power to affect long-term meaningful change.During Dr. Thompson’s tenure, Gundersen Health System has been recognized across the country by independent healthcare rating organizations for high-quality patient care. It has also earned the highest honors of Healthgrades America’s 50 Best AwardTM for 2012 through 2016 and the White House Champions of Change award in 2013.Dr. Thompson is a founding member and past board chair of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality and the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium. He also serves on boards for the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value, the Wisconsin Statewide Value Committee, About Health (chair), and Practice Greenhealth.Dr. Thompson has authored and been featured in many articles, book chapters, and abstracts on healthcare, leadership and sustainability topics. He is the author of Lead True: Live Your Values, Build Your People, Inspire Your Community, (Forbes Books, March 2017).Dr. Thompson is board certified in Pediatric Critical Care, Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, and Pediatrics. He has been caring for patients for over thirty-five years. He earned his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship at SUNY Upstate Medical University.He resides in Lacrosse, Wisconsin with his wife and in near proximity to his three grown children.

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FOREWORD BY JEFFREY R. IMMELT INTRODUCTION: YOUR PERSONAL COMPASS PART I: LIVE YOUR VALUES CHAPTER 1: CHOICES CHAPTER 2: LEAD WITH COURAGE CHAPTER 3: LEAD WITH DISCIPLINE CHAPTER 4: LEAD WITH DURABILITY PART II: PEOPLE CHAPTER 5: LEAD WITH REVERENCE CHAPTER 6: COMMUNICATE DEEPLY PART III: ORGANIZATION CHAPTER 7: LEAD TO EXCEED CHAPTER 8: INNOVATE TO SERVE VALUES PART IV: COMMUNITY CHAPTER 9: LEAD BEYOND YOUR WALLS CHAPTER 10: FUNDS AND FOUNDATIONS TO SERVE YOUR VALUES CHAPTER 11: LEAD THE MORAL AND FINANCIAL CASE FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT CHAPTER 12: LEAD ACROSS THE DIVIDE CONCLUSION: WHEN VALUES LEAD, WE ALL WIN MORE FROM JEFF