Sandra Gomberg is no stranger to leading through high stake situations. Having held the titles of nurse, CEO of Temple University’s Hospital, and an onslaught of other noteworthy positions, Sandra Gomberg has experienced some of the most pivotal moments of a leaders’ life. That’s why, when she got an unexpected call one night last spring from the Commissioner of Philadelphia, she didn’t cower.
The phone rang as the news went on about the COVID-19 virus having found it’s way to the United States. The world was in disarray, fear controlling everyone’s daily thoughts. Upon answering the phone, Gomberg was quick to discover that she was about to take a head-first dive into the uncertain waters the nation faced. The Commissioner of Philadelphia was asking her to head the construction of a COVID-19 hospital…in ten days…in Temple University’s basketball arena. Her husband waved at her from across the table mouthing, “No, don’t do it,” for at that point they, like everyone else, had no idea what this new virus was capable of. However, Gomberg reflected upon her students, who for the last few weeks had been on the frontlines of the striking disease.
“I couldn’t imagine having a choice and not doing it,” She said, “when my peers and colleagues didn’t have a choice and they were melting under the weight of it.” She took the job without a second thought.
The days following happened in a whirlwind. As fast as she had said yes, Gomberg was put on a conference call with the other leaders of the project, then was on sight to see the space which brought to light the true state of their surmounting workload. The basketball arena was full of random supplies that had been dropped off. There were moldy gloves, blankets, and outdated medical supplies. It was a conglomeration of such entities that they had the job of sorting through. That, and making the arena resemble a hospital.
“I was scared to death.” Gomberg admitted. She had no idea what they were going to do, but she knew one thing: her team was essential and so was having everyone on the same page. With that knowledge, she started that first day the same way she would end it, with a team huddle. This ritual became mandatory, and Gomberg made sure that each person felt that their work was following the team’s basic guiding principles: keep the patient at the center, and the staff safe.
“When you lead in ambiguity, you will attract people who will be comfortable in that ambiguity and some people who are not going to be comfortable in that ambiguity, but will certainly want to contribute. So you have to create the culture and the spirit around what we’re going to do.”
For Sandra, the culture she was creating was the most important aspect to making sure that everyone stayed safe during the construction of the hospital.
When her staff felt valued and comfortable in the environment, she could then prompt them to openly and truthfully express concerns and ideas.
One tactic she utilized when her staff wasn’t being forthright was encouraging them to write down their concerns and put them in a fishbowl. Another was the implementation of a gratitude wall, acting as a reminder of goodness and perspective amid chaos and stress. It was these activities that set the precedent for the staff, making them aware of how Sandra remained committed to keeping them grounded, as they were often being given tasks that were way outside of their comfort zones.
The leadership initiatives Sandra used to help her staff were founded upon her understanding of the human heart. For her, everyone wakes up each morning and puts on their “self esteem overalls and then, life happens.” Maybe they spill a drink on the overalls, their clothing catches on something and rips, or a button pops. It causes strength to falter. Someone could diminish a job that person did and suddenly, they are trying to overcompensate by blaming others as they try to hold up their self esteem overalls.
“No one wants to be that vulnerable,” Somberg said, but “if we realize that everybody we work with everyday is just as vulnerable in their self esteem, [things in] their life happen that we don’t even know [about], if we start from the basis that we want to create strength, we want to create gratitude for what they’re doing, we want to create a safe space, [people won’t fear that vulnerability]. That’s how I operate everyday.”
In tune with how to create an effective leadership environment, Sandra also deeply understood the impact of her decisions on people’s very lives. Sandra has often worked with her eyes facing towards the unknown, the weight of life or death upon her shoulders. “You have to come with that in their soul,” Sandra believes about the ability to lead through uncertainty. “When it comes to that capacity to walk without personal fear into a place of strong ambiguity and know that there are people whose jobs and lives are counting on you, that comes from your soul.”
While Sandra was giving direction to her staff, whether it was figuring out pharmaceuticals or calling friends in finance to help with the project, she felt a heavy responsibility, yet performed with her chin held high. Her lack of fear comes from deep within.
As Sandra explains, “When you grow up as a leader knowing that every decision you make touches somebody’s life, you have to be humbled by that impact. When you lose the humility of that impact, then you don’t deserve to be in decision making because you won’t make the right decisions.”
Throughout her career, with lives, jobs, and more at the center of her responsibilities, Sandra has felt that humility. “The power of that decision making authority should bring you to your knees every single time.” Gomberg said, but also adamantly expressed that such a responsibility does not prevent her from making the hard decisions. Instead, she uses the high stakes to push her further towards ensuring every decision she makes is the best one, and that she sees it through.
For Sandra, being a leader is having the emotional intelligence to know the impact of one’s duty, but to let that pressure create the diamonds of refined leadership.
Leadership Inspirations:
Dean Fitzpatrick of the Villanova Nursing School who embraced the Unitas, Veritas, Caritas commitment of the school and taught her what it meant to lead with grace.
Ed Notabaert who, once taking the position of CEO of the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, took the hospital to a number one rating. He taught her to “always negotiate from a position of strength.”
She concluded, “I could go person after person after person that I have really had the privilege of taking special pieces of what they’ve taught me,” but refrained.
Captured February 2021