The brilliance of a good leader lies within a person capable of simultaneously carrying wisdom from the past and vision for the future in a way that doesn’t prevent them from being engaged in and learning from the relevancy of the present.
Quint Studer possesses that enigmatic style of leadership. I only use the word enigmatic in the way he is able to synergize this visionary thinking, because otherwise, the man is an open book. Thirteen open books, literally speaking.
In his newest book, Sundays with Quint, an entire library of leadership notes are condensed into one easy-to-read book.
Compiled with the purpose of weekly consumption, the book’s format contains 52 articles selected from his Sunday Pensacola News Journal column.
Although the columns were written with a leadership audience in mind, this book is rich with life principles that apply to everyone. Within a few minutes of reading, I was making lists of recipients to gift Sundays with Quint, including relatives due to graduate college soon and my own high-school-aged children.
This book is what I like to call a HUD book, because it is highlighted, underlined, and dog-eared to the point that everyone will need their own copy. In the book, Quint shares timeless wisdom in ways that are heartwarming and relatable, but packs in specific step-by-step directions for implementing change. It is also a treasure trove of encouragement for people currently in leadership roles and those aspiring to them.
“Many people are promoted because they are good at the job they are in, but people get promoted to jobs they’ve never done before,” Quint says, hoping to capture the audience of anyone in middle management.
When I asked Quint why he thinks he has been effective as a leader and leadership instructor, he humbly replied, “Because I’m still on the journey, but also because I have done it. I am in the field. I am always somewhere learning. Every column comes from real-life experience.”
A good portion of that real-life experience is from a career in healthcare, serving in leadership roles at hospitals in Wisconsin and Chicago, before coming to Pensacola where he served as President of Baptist Hospital.
After many years in healthcare management, Quint founded The Studer Group, to improve clinical outcomes and financial results for healthcare organizations worldwide. He also founded the Studer Community Institute and is the owner of the Blue Wahoos. In 2022, he co-founded with Dan Collard the Healthcare Solutions Group, which is a team of experts to help healthcare organizations diagnose pain points, and design and plan for smart collaborative solutions.
But as you will read, it isn’t just Quint’s work experience that makes Sundays with Quint a HUD book; his observations and anecdotes about life and lessons on trust, forgiveness, and authenticity elevate this comprehensive leadership manual. For this reason, Sundays with Quint will maintain a permanent spot in my personal library and is my new go-to gift book.
While the book is applicable for audiences anywhere, there are fun references to Pensacola, including a great Blue Wahoos comeback story in Chapter 11, Is Forgiveness Part of Your Culture?
As the mother of older teenagers, I especially appreciate Chapter 19: Three Major Traits of a Successful Employee (And How to Develop Them in Yourself). It is a great chapter on encouraging younger employees or guiding teenagers into adulthood.
Other chapters are ripe with advice and encouragement for burnout, personnel struggles, and onboarding tips. The entire book is brimming with noteworthy nuggets, so get your favorite highlighter and pen ready for Sundays with Quint available to order here.
As they have with other projects, Quint and his wife, Rishy, will direct the proceeds from the sale of Sundays with Quint to the Center for Civic Engagement, producer of CivicCon. For more on the Center for Civic Engagement and CivicCon, click here.
