Leading Through Change With Presence, Flexibility, and Truth with Dr. Vi-Anne Antrum

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Episode: Leading Through Change With Presence, Flexibility, and Truth
Guest: Dr. Vi-Anne Antrum, System Chief Nursing Officer, Cone Health
Host: Lucas Voss
Date: May 16, 2026

This episode explores the essential components of effective leadership during times of rapid change in healthcare. Dr. Vi-Anne Antrum shares her perspectives on leading with presence, adapting to workforce expectations, decision-making in uncertain environments, and the enduring importance of truth and compassion.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Antrum’s Background & Current Focus

• Background:

  • Nearly 30 years as a nurse.
  • System Chief Nursing Officer at Cone Health, a $3.2B integrated health system in Greensboro, NC, part of Risen Health.
    (00:52)

• Current Focus:

  • The "pace of change" in the healthcare organization is top of mind, particularly the challenges and opportunities brought by rapid, continuous transformation.
  • “That's something I'm really paying attention to with the team right now.” (01:22)

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2. Leadership Through Presence and Over-Communication

• Being Present:

  • “There’s no replacement for your presence. So you have to really be present with the team.” (02:01)
  • Leaders should serve as a “barometer” for staff, reassuring them amid uncertainty.

• Over-Communicate:

  • Importance of communicating in many ways to help people process and adapt to change.
  • “You being there…helping them be okay about it and being that familiar anchor that they're used to seeing is really helpful.” (02:01–02:48)

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3. The Human Element Versus Technology

• Balancing Tech and People:
  • While technology is critical, Dr. Antrum underscores that it cannot—and should not—replace genuine leadership and human interaction.
  • “Technology can do what technology can do. But ultimately, technology doesn't replace humans and it doesn't replace leadership…That's not one of them.” (02:59)

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4. Decision-Making in a Rapidly-Changing Environment

• Listening First:

  • Defines herself as a “deep listener” and “servant leader.”
  • Emphasizes maintaining a “stronger pulse on people” in the post-COVID era.
    (03:34)

• Flexing Leadership Styles:

  • Recognizes the need for discernment: “There are times where you step on the gas and there are other times where you have to ease up off the gas and maybe even step on the brakes a little bit.” (04:20)

• Preventing Burnout:

  • Must be conscious of pushing teams too hard; there’s no manual except emotional intelligence.

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5. Data-Informed Leadership and Progress Over Perfection

• Decisiveness and Forward Motion:

  • “I'm a fan of data informed leadership, and I am a fan of progress over perfection. So I don't believe in getting bogged down in analysis paralysis.” (05:28)
  • “You have to make the call, you have to take a stand. You have to move forward. I think staying stagnant is the worst thing that you can do in today's environment.” (05:41)

• Quote Reference:

  • “Peter Drucker has a quote that the best way to predict the future is to create it. And that is so true.” (05:54)

• Burden of Leadership:

  • “You get to make hard decisions, you get to have hard conversations. I always say a squirrel can lead when things are going good. Right. Everybody can run out there with a good story. That's not where you earn your keep.” (06:34)

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6. Most Critical Leadership Habit: "Tell the Truth in Love"

• Core Habit:

  • “Tell the truth in love.” (07:37)
  • “Even if you have to deliver a message that's hard, people know that it's coming from a place of caring and so they can receive it.” (07:44)

• Repetition and Presence:

  • Over-communicating and consistently checking in are vital, especially during tumultuous or exciting times of change.

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7. Responding to Shifting Workforce Expectations

• Flexibility in Roles:

  • COVID dramatically altered employees’ life and work priorities.
  • “People want to be able to spend time with their family…go on vacation…I want to be there for my kids’ play.” (09:11)

• Innovative Staffing Solutions:

  • Creating flexible arrangements: e.g., summer schedules for parents, weekend-only positions, per diem roles.
  • “Our level of overtime has significantly reduced over the last five years. People are just not interested in that.” (10:05)

• Retaining Seasoned Staff:

  • Developing roles that harness the expertise of those nearing retirement, such as virtual, digital, and mobile programs, and congregational nursing.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Leadership Presence:

  • “There's no replacement for your presence.” (02:01)

• On Technology in Leadership:

  • “Technology doesn't replace humans and it doesn't replace leadership.” (02:59)

• On Decisiveness:

  • “I'm a fan of progress over perfection. So I don't believe in getting bogged down in analysis paralysis.” (05:28)

• On Truthful Leadership:

  • “Tell the truth in love.” (07:37)
  • “You can't over communicate in these times. And I don't think that you can overdo checking on people and being present.” (07:55)

• On Workforce Change:

  • “COVID fundamentally changed what people think is important.” (09:11)

• On Retaining Talent:

  • “How do you create positions and roles that allow those very seasoned, knowledgeable people to be able to transfer that knowledge to others?” (10:49)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:52 – Dr. Antrum’s introduction and career overview
• 01:22 – Focus on change and challenges in healthcare organizations
• 02:01–02:48 – The importance of presence and communication in leadership
• 03:34–04:51 – Approaching decision-making and leadership philosophies
• 05:28–06:34 – Being decisive, using data, and embracing the “burden of leadership”
• 07:37–07:55 – The core habit: “Tell the truth in love”
• 09:11–11:24 – Workforce flexibility, changing expectations, and creative staffing solutions

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Conclusion

Dr. Vi-Anne Antrum’s insights provide a practical, compassionate roadmap for healthcare leaders facing fast-paced and unpredictable change. Her emphasis on presence, truthful communication, adaptability, and meeting people’s changing needs—both as patients and as staff—captures the mindset required for sustainable leadership today. The episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the evolving landscape of healthcare leadership.

Transcript

[A]

At Insight Global Health, we are dedicated to helping you and improving healthcare for everyone. That means building stronger teams and delivering sustainable solutions that truly make a difference. We offer a full spectrum of talent and technical services and deliver cross industry expertise to bring you innovative best practices to solve the problems that we face in healthcare. We're not just promising you results, we are delivering them. Visit [e-mail] hi everyone, this is Lucas

[B]

Voss with Becker's Healthcare coming to you live from Becker's 2026 annual meeting. So excited to have you. And I am so excited to have Dr. Vianne Antrim join us today. Dr. Antrim, welcome. It's great to have you.

[C]

Thank you so much, Lukas. It's great to be here.

[B]

Yes, I do want to start us off with introductions just in case people don't know you yet at least. Viewers just want to give us an overview of your career and just a little bit about your work in healthcare.

[C]

Sure. So I've been a nurse for almost 30 years. Dr. Vianne Antrum. I'm the system Chief Nursing officer at cone health in Greensboro, North Carolina. And that's a $3.2 billion integrated health care system that is part of Risen Health.

[B]

I'd love to start us off just with level setting the conversation a little bit. What's that one thing that's capturing your attention right now? What are you really paying attention to in this space?

[C]

So I think the thing that I'm paying attention to in my organization is the pace of change and that's just because we've had so many over the last year. So that's something I'm really paying attention to with the team right now.

[B]

Which leads me into my next question because I think again, as we have quick change, it also requires leadership to change pace a little bit. What are some of the recent decisions or pivots required the most from leadership right now? From your precision, especially when it comes to aligning people and resources and all of these shifting elements when we talk about healthcare.

[C]

Well, you know, I think because healthcare is a people business, there's no replacement for your presence. So you have to really be present with the team. You have to bias toward over communicating in lots of different ways and trying to help help people understand all of the change and really be a barometer for people so that they know it's going to be okay even though we're evolving and advancing and all of these changes are exciting and therefore the better. But sometimes it doesn't always feel like that to people. And so you being there helping Helping them work through those changes, helping them be okay about it, and being that familiar anchor that they're used to seeing is really helpful.

[B]

Do you feel like organizations and leaders are realizing that more and more because we have so much technology, there's technology for everything right now. Do you feel like people are pivoting back towards that human element, that people first element?

[C]

Well, I certainly hope so. I mean, I think, I don't know if everyone is. But technology can do what technology can do. But ultimately, technology doesn't replace humans and it doesn't replace leadership. Right. You can't. Some things you can delegate. That's not one of them.

[B]

Again, in the face of all of this and some of the things that you've just mentioned. Right. How have you approached decision making and how has your approach to decision making changed with, with all of this change?

[C]

Yeah, so I think I'm a deep listener. I. I like to listen first, to really kind of understand where people are at so that I can tailor what they need. I think I'm a servant leader at heart. And it is always about making sure that we are doing the right thing for all of the humans we serve, whether it's our patients, our consumers, our team members, our providers. For me, it really is about people. And so I think that element of my leadership hasn't changed over the years. I do keep a stronger pulse on people. I think in the aftermath of COVID expectations changed for people. People have a different view about work and life. And you really have to pay attention to if you're pushing people too hard. Right. There are times where you step on the gas and there are other times where you have to ease up off the gas and maybe even step on the brakes a little bit. So you really have to have some discernment about when those periods of time are so that you don't burn people out.

[B]

And that becomes really hard because there is no manual for these types of situations. Right. That's. It's a lot about emotional intelligence, understanding your folks, understanding your people, understanding your organization, which is so incredibly critical. Again, when you were thinking about all of these decisions and we're thinking about all of the things that are reshaping this space right now. Where do you believe leaders need to be more decisive right now? Especially when they're looking to balance all of these factors, speed, compliance, all of the different things that they need to think about on a daily basis?

[C]

Yeah. So I'm a fan of data informed leadership, and I am a fan of progress over perfection. So I don't believe in getting bogged down in analysis paralysis. I think get enough information to be able to make a decision. But you have to make decisions. You have to make the call, you have to take a stand. You have to move forward. I think staying stagnant is the worst thing that you can do in today's environment. And I think it was. Peter Drucker has a quote that the best way to predict the future is to create it. And that is so true. Right. You have an opportunity to create the future with your team over and over and over again. Nothing's written in stone, but you really have to be that guiding light. You have to have that vision and you have to make decisions that help your team move forward when they're scared, when they're unsure. That is, I will say, the mantle of leadership, the burden of leadership. Whichever side of that coin you end up on, that's part of your job as a leader. You get to make hard decisions, you get to have hard conversations. I always say a squirrel can lead when things are going good. Right. Everybody can run out there with a good story. That's not where you earn your keep.

[B]

And again, just to circle back to what we've talked about earlier, it trickles down to the whole organization. Again, that's the. You talked about the mantle of leadership. That's the impact that a leader has. Is ideally that mantra goes down and trickles down across the organization. So, so crucial. Again, as we talk about all this uncertainty and the changes that we've experienced and that we've touched on in our conversation. What's that one habit or that one leadership habit that's been most critical in keeping organization and your people moving forward?

[C]

So I think the habit that I'm going to select is tell the truth in love.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I think the truth part is important and the love part is important. So that way, even if you have to deliver a message that's hard, people know that it's coming from a place of caring and so they can receive it. But I don't think that you can over communicate in these times. And I don't think that you can overdo checking on people and being present. Those are the things that really matter in tumultuous times or even exciting times of change. I think that's what helps keep people aligned and keep people on the same page and really help people emotionally, mentally and physically be okay with everything that is happening. Yeah.

[B]

And I want to transition from that to talk a little bit about the workforce element of this because again, yes, we talked about the change, and we talked about technology, et cetera. But what's also changing is the workforce in and of itself. The expectations are changing. More flexibility. Right. People want more. More benefits, so to speak, for their work in and of itself. Right. How are shifting workforce expectations influencing how you design roles, how you talk to people, and in general, how you design the workforce in and of itself?

[C]

Yeah. So I think we're thinking about how do we create things in a way that allow people to maximize their contribution, but also allow them to achieve their personal goals, being home with their family? I think Covid fundamentally changed what people think is important. Right. So people are like, I want to be able to spend time with my family. I want to be able to go on vacation, and so I want to be able to earn a living. I want to be there for my kids play. Right. Those kind of things. So we're thinking about how do we create roles that allow people to do that? How do we create roles that allow people to spend summers at home when their kids are off? How do we create roles that allow people to work weekends so that during the week they can be there for all of their kids activities and things like that, or per diem roles. So we have created a lot of flexible work options at Cohen Health to help us meet people where they are. And that means sometimes adding additional people because I will tell you, our level of overtime has significantly reduced over the last five years. People are just not interested in that. And so you still need to provide those hours of care. You just have to do it differently. And then the other thing I think about is, you know, sort of the people in our workforce who are moving toward retirement, where maybe the mind says, yes, I would love to do 3 12s, but the body says, no, no, we are not ready for 3:12. Right. And so how do you create positions and roles that allow those very seasoned, knowledgeable people to be able to transfer that knowledge to others? And so virtual and digital options are available. And even we have mobile programs. We have a congregational nursing program. So looking at different ways like that that allow people to continue contributing for as long as possible.

[B]

Love coming back to your mantra so important in everything that we do today. Dr. Antrim, so great to have you. Thank you so much for spending some time with us.

[C]

Thank you so much for having me, Lucas. It was a great conversation.

[B]

It's great to have you. My name is Lucas Voss and I want to thank you all for tuning in to Becker's healthcare podcast.