Chain of Learning: 32| When Crisis Strikes, Hold on to Your Purpose [with Isaac Mitchell]

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Is your organization stuck in a constant state of crisis, where everything feels like an urgent, must-fix-now situation?

As a leader, cutting through that noise is key to prioritizing and aligning your team’s efforts to focus on what really matters.

In this episode, Isaac Mitchell, VP of Operational Excellence at Ballad Health System, shares his experience leading through Hurricane Helene and how he’s fostering an organizational culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Isaac shares how his leadership journey—from engineer at Toyota to executive in healthcare—shaped his approach to real crises. He discusses how understanding purpose—his own, his team’s, and the organization’s—helps him distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s truly important.

By focusing on what matters, you can create the impact you’re striving for. To me, that’s what living with intention is—knowing your purpose and aligning your actions to make it happen.

YOU’LL LEARN:

  • How to distinguish between true crises and perceived urgency
  • The importance of aligning organizational and personal purpose to drive strategic success
  • A framework for where to spend your time as a leader to build a high-performing organization
  • How to demonstrate respect for people by encouraging a personal understanding of purpose and owning the thinking process, not the answers
  • Practical tips for building a people-centered culture that drives sustainable growth

In our conversation about intention and goals, Isaac asks about my next big goal—listen for the big reveal, never shared publicly until now! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Isaac Mitchell is an experienced strategy deployment executive and is currently a Vice President at Ballad Health and a guest lecturer at the University of Tennessee’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. 

IMPORTANT LINKS:

TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE: 

3:08 Navigating crises during Hurricane Helene through community and shared purpose

9:00 True crises vs. perceived urgency 

10:58 Avoid falling into the “expert trap” during crises
14:10 Respecting people’s development and using Gemba

16:19 How to use daruma dolls in goal setting
20:57 Katie’s BIG new goal reveal

22:25 Using a hanko when coaching for  problem solving
30:36 Isaac’s North Star for the year and Japan Study Trip lessons
32:11 How Gemba helps leaders prioritize what’s essential

36:23 Setting big goals and using them to push for growth 

41:34 Value of cultural and business learning
45:54 The warp and weft metaphor for goal setting

Spaces still available for the May 2025 Japan Study Trip – apply now!