101: Why Leadership Training Fails (and How to Fix It): Healthcare Executive Keith Repko on Building Strong Managers
Episode Description
Leadership problems rarely start at the top. They start in the middle.
In this episode of Business Origin Stories, I sit down with Keith Repko, a former healthcare executive who spent decades leading one of the largest VA medical systems in a five-state region. Over his career, Keith oversaw thousands of employees, multiple hospital campuses, and complex operational systems, and what he learned is simple and uncomfortable: most organizations promote people into leadership roles without teaching them how to lead.
We talk about why bad managers drive great people out the door, why younger generations are increasingly opting out of leadership roles altogether, and what actually works when it comes to developing strong, relational leaders inside complex organizations.
Keith shares real-world stories from healthcare, practical frameworks leaders can use immediately, and why relationship-first leadership is not “soft,” but operationally essential.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why most leadership training comes too late
- The real cost of promoting high performers who aren’t ready to lead
- How poor management accelerates burnout and turnover
- Practical ways leaders can build trust and cohesion across teams
- How organizations can create leadership pathways without forcing people into management
Whether you lead a hospital system, a growing company, or a small team, this conversation will change how you think about leadership development and what it truly takes to build teams that last.
Connect with Keith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-repko-a0b80684/
Instagram:
@amyschutte_
Work with us: www.hudsonandco.co