CLARITY. COMPASSION. CONFIDENCE.

Nurturing High-Performing Teams for Relationships and Results:
Lessons about Hiring and Firing from a Seasoned CEO
Holding team members accountable has moved from a routine administrative task to a top-tier strategic action and a critical, high-stress issue for CEOs, particularly as they focus on operational efficiency in the AI era. How you do it matters.

Peter D. Banko is a seasoned CEO with over 40 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He has built a reputation for driving cultural and operational change in complex health organizations. A key aspect of his success, both financially and in terms of stakeholder satisfaction, is leadership development through effective team building. This often involves managing underperformance and making tough executive decisions, including leader termination when necessary.

Now living a distance from his micro-ranch, where he raised heritage breed Belted Galloway, Peter is fueling his creativity with spray paint art, inspired by the expressions on the Berlin Wall. Additionally, Peter enjoys mentoring young healthcare executives from his alma maters, focusing on leadership development and managing relationships and results, while also returning to teach at Cornell and Notre Dame.
"I have known Peter Banko for more than 25 years, and have observed his leadership in some of America's most complex health systems, marked by courage, humility, and heart. In The Necessary Goodbye, he distills essential lessons on employee termination and managing underperformance into a profoundly human guide."
Most Influential Person in Medicine (AR)
2011

Leadership is not a quest for power; it requires a healthy balance of ego and graciousness, grounded in relationships.

Discipline yourself to remove bureaucratic barriers and simplify decision-making across the board to eliminate the friction that slows meaningful progress.

Make mission and core values a cornerstone in everything you say and do. Be in service to others. Ensure a balanced approach to community need, engagement, quality and safety, growth, and the bottom line.

True stewardship reaches beyond organizational infrastructure to community impact. Only high-performing teams can sustainably execute strategic and operational imperatives well, and with far-reaching effects.

Especially when faced with organizational challenges such as financial turnarounds, leading with authenticity and empathy fosters greater trust and resilience.

In the words of Brene Brown, "Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind." Practice kindness. Be patient. Compassion is not passive. It requires action.
Your team will appreciate clarity and compassion with confidence. You will sleep easier at night.

You can’t always get what you want, not even when you’re justified in terminating someone on your team. Maybe they have connections to your board members. Maybe you’re new to your position and can’t eliminate the entire department because you need people to do the work.
The truth is, you’ve got a business to run, more than a country club to support. You always need to be able to step away from a relationship if it’s best for the organization. Will these decisions make you unpopular?
Co-hosts Ryan Harris and Bennie Fowler sit down with Peter Banko, the CEO of Baystate Health. Peter shares his journey as a CEO and the lessons learned along the way as a titan in the healthcare industry. He opens up about leadership development, the importance of executive decision making, and managing underperformance while building successful teams. Peter emphasizes the significance of staying on top of details, being consumer-friendly, and fostering a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. Throughout the conversation, Peter shares personal anecdotes and experiences that have shaped his leadership style, including the impact of having a supportive family and the value of self-awareness. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to be an effective CEO and how to navigate the challenges that come with leading a large organization.
Peter discusses the driving forces that win consumer loyalty in healthcare and honestly reflects on the biggest challenges in the system he just joined.
The latest installment of Where We’re Going will invite Notre Dame faculty and global experts to focus on healthcare and timely issues like public health and healthcare technology. Participants will be invited to join three weekly events to hear from faculty and industry practitioners and participate in discussions to enhance their understanding of the topics. Featured Speakers:
Watch the one-on-one conversation with Baystate Health's Peter Banko as he discusses his career journey, insights on executive decision making during employee termination processes, his first six months with the system, and his vision for leadership development and managing underperformance in the future of healthcare.

coming soon...
With more than 30 years in healthcare leadership—including two decades as a CEO—Peter D. Banko is a sought-after speaker on values-driven leadership. He focuses on leadership development, team dynamics, and the complex realities of managing performance. Known for his thoughtful approach to executive decision-making, Peter addresses even the most sensitive challenges—such as employee termination—with clarity, confidence and compassion. For inquiries, please email thenecessarygoodbye@gmail.com.
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