Episode 80 Leading with Curiosity with Nina Prasad

Grace Berman: Foreign. Hi, and welcome to DaVita Leadership Insights, a podcast for DaVita teammates who want to become a better leader, both personally and professionally. I'm Grace Berman, a senior director with DaVita University.

Doug Miller: And I'm Doug Miller, a master coach and DaVita University faculty member. Today we get the opportunity to chat with Nina Prasad, division Vice President in Southern California. She leads our Gold coast division and dream team, which is one of our eight geographies for dialysis operations in the U.S. welcome, Nina.

Grace Berman: Hello.

Nina Prasad: Excited to be here, Grace and Doug.

Doug Miller: So grateful to have you, Nina. And we're so excited to get to talk to you on this topic of leading with curiosity. It feels just right on brand for who you are and how you show up in the world, asking smart questions, being open minded, et cetera. And to get us into this, I thought, you know, it's an interesting topic because sometimes as leaders or new leaders, we have this perception that as a leader, I should know all the answers. And we have to manage this polarity between leading from the front and also showing up with curiosity, which you seem to do so well. So let's get started. And why is leading with curiosity so important to you? Where does this come from?

Nina Prasad: I love this question. For me, curiosity isn't just a leadership tool. It's actually how I make sense of the world. And it started at home. My parents came to the US by way of India, Germany, and Canada. And so we had friends from all over. And growing up, things like hosting a dinner party required real thought. We had to know who ate meat, who didn't, who drank wine, who didn't. And so hosting actually could feel like a strategy session sometimes. And holidays like Christmas didn't look like one thing. I associate Christmas with stalen, which is a German cake, mulled wine, masala chai, and puliudharai, which is a South Indian rice dish.

Doug Miller: Ugh.

Grace Berman: Nina, uh, you're making me hungry now.

Nina Prasad: I feel hungry saying all of this. And I think what it did for me was make me aware from a really young age that people experience the world differently, uh, and those differences really matter. And so, in terms of how I lead, uh, and how that shows up, I assume when I'm walking into a room that there's more than one perspective. And part of my job is to understand those different perspectives. And then if I zoom out, curiosity, uh, shows up for me in three ways. It's. It's how I understand people, how I learn systems, and how I think about impact.

Grace Berman: Oh, first, Nina, just anytime we get to talk about food, in these episodes, it's. It's just. I love it. So thank you so much for, for starting us off there. Food is always near and dear to my heart, and I really appreciate the stories of how you grew up and how that really connected for you. So being curious helped you connect with others and helps you make sense of the world. And I love how you have brought that along your journey with you in those three ways that you mentioned there at the end. And speaking of that, I know that your path and your career that has brought you here has not been linear, and I would just love for you to share more about the different industries and professions that eventually led you to davita and how, uh, curiosity has played a role in that journey.

Nina Prasad: Yeah, you're right, Grace. I have not had a linear career. And looking back, curiosity was really the common thread there. In college, I started as a Pre MEd, took one economics class and completely changed directions. I was really drawn to how it applied scientific and mathematic principles to real world problems. And that really resonated. That led me to investment banking and private equity in New York and Australia, where I was constantly learning new industries, analyzing companies across the world, and trying to understand how different companies companies worked. I then followed that curiosity into entrepreneurship and starting my own business, which was a completely different challenge. It was my first time leading people and I was building something from the ground up. And then I found my way to davita after losing most of the vision in my right eye. It was not a great experience and made me very passionate about wanting to throw my hat in the ring and join a healthcare company. Was lucky enough to join the village. Eight years ago, I started in business development and then for the last six years have been in operations. And looking back, I would not have predicted this path, but I think what I was trying to do at each stage of my career was really follow where I had questions and where I felt I had more to understand. It's also what I love about the village. This is, uh, a place that really scratches my curiosity itch. I get to learn every day and each role in every market has given me a new challenge that I get to conquer. So I've really loved the last eight years.

Doug Miller: Wow, Nina, what a great journey. And I love how every part of it supported you in shaping and making you who you are and how curiosity played a role in each of those steps and stages along the way. It's part of what I love about hearing people's journeys and listening for their origin stories and what shaped them and made them and created them is how all those experiences come together to shape us and make us who we are. And I'm curious, uh, when have you led with curiosity? Well, if you could tell us a story and take us into a specific example.

Nina Prasad: Sure. So one moment that stands out is when I met a leader named Tanya Marcel. This was my first week as a Rod. It was during COVID and it was shortly after the George Floyd incident. And so it was a heavy moment for a lot of us. And going into the meeting, I had a full agenda that I planned out weeks ahead of time. And I was getting out of my car. I decided to leave that in the car in the passenger seat and walk in. You know, no notebook, no agenda, no plan. Instead, we ended up talking for four hours. We talked about everything from childhood to current events and Tanya's career journey. She had grown to FA from PCT and LVN and had worked across multiple states. And it went in a direction I couldn't have predicted. And it was absolutely wonderful because that curiosity really built a trusting relationship and set the foundation for a great relationship that we've had over the years. And since then, I've gotten to support her career growth as she has grown from FA to GFA to RHM and now Rod and First Quartile Rod at that. So she's out there kicking butt, and I've gotten to get a sideline seat to all of that. And what that experience reinforced for me was that curiosity about people isn't a soft skill. It's actually a way to unlock potential. And this is one of those ways that, as I mentioned, I really try to exhibit curiosity as a way of leading.

Grace Berman: Nina, what a great story about Tonya and that opportunity that you had where you could have walked into the meeting and been very directive in terms of how you wanted that meeting to go, but you took a pause and really tried to lead from curiosity, which led to such a beautiful connection conversation. And sounds like you really were able to build that trust, and not only with Tanya, but with a team and enable her development as well as your own. And then ultimately, it's just incredible how you were able to bring that curiosity into a time that maybe you really wanted to be more directive. So with that, I know that we all have times when we don't do things well, um, or as well as we'd like. So I'd love to hear a story about a time when you might not have led curiosity well. When might you have stumbled in your desire to lead with curiosity?

Nina Prasad: Absolutely. So early in My career. I was asked to gather information from a company that we were working with. I very quickly reached out to their CFO and requested the information, but also explained the request. At the time, I thought I was being transparent as well as efficient in turning this around and being very clear as to why I was asking for this information. What I didn't realize at the time, but learned very quickly when my boss walked into my office 30 minutes later, is that my request had created a panic. The cfo, who then shared the news with the entire management team, thought that we were planning to sell this company, which we had no plans to do. And that experience really stuck with me because I realized that while I was being transparent, I was not being curious. I hadn't stopped to really think about how this was going to land for them, the impact of my question and just what the implications might be. And it really reinforces for me the difference between intent and impact and the fact that good intentions aren't enough. We really need to think about the impact of our words and actions and slow down at times to really think those through before taking action.

Doug Miller: Yeah, I think bringing up intent versus impact is a, uh, really beautiful thing to include in this episode around curiosity. And I always think that we can be more curious as human beings around the impact. Impact we are having on those around us, regardless of our intent. And sometimes it's tough but take responsibility for that impact, which sometimes, even though it's so far away from our intent, I think it's important that we do, um, and push into that. So thanks for being willing to share that stumble story with us. I really appreciate the vulnerability. Nina, and pivoting a little bit here. What do you do now to. To self check and practice this and make sure that you're consistently leading with curiosity.

Nina Prasad: Yeah, love that question. So just like many things, curiosity, uh, definitely requires intentionality. And it's something that I try and stay intentional around or need to stay. Need to remember to stay intentional around, especially when things get busy. And so I have a very practical thing that I utilize when I know things are busy and I need to self check myself if I feel that I'm getting too directive. One thing I'll do is take out a sticky note. I have piles of them on my desk and I draw two columns. One is for questions and one is for statements. And as I go through my calls for the day, I'll start to track how many questions I'm asking versus giving direction. And at the end of the day, my goal is to be either Balanced or to be asking more questions. And if I know that I'm, um, making more statements, then that's a good opportunity to self correct. And so it's a small habit, but it's a way for me to pull myself back into curiosity when I feel I'm going astray.

Grace Berman: Okay, Nina, uh, you have to tell us about the sticky notes. What's your favorite color?

Nina Prasad: I wish I had strong preferences. My assistant ordered me multicolors. But you know, as I wear pink headphones, I do have a fondness for pink when it's available, so, so.

Grace Berman: Oh, great. And pink is my favorite as well, so I'm really feeling that connection there.

Doug Miller: Going to have to be careful. You're going to get flooded with pink. Thank you cards for this episode. I love the simplicity of your post it note activity, Nina. And it reminds me of the phrase what gets measured gets managed. Right? So just a simple tick marks can be so powerful in so many different ways when you're trying to build a practice and stay consistent. And um, now I want to, I want to look at a, uh, dynamic that I think can happen for a lot of us as leaders, especially in this incredibly fast paced, complex world that we're living in right now where there's so much stress and there's so many different variables that are playing out right in front of us in real time. And I'm curious, how do you think about and balance that or assess the difference between the moments where you should be leading by being a little bit more directive versus being curious and how you navigate that, given this kind of organic push for faster that can sometimes occur for us as leaders?

Nina Prasad: Yeah, I love this question because this is something that I have worked on throughout my career, I continue to work on. And there's certainly a tension there between curiosity as well as speed and clarity. And key is balancing those both. And for me, the way I think about this is that it's less about whether I know the answer or not and more about what the moment calls for. And so I try and be intentional in determining whether a moment requires speed, whether the decision is irreversible or there's risk of failure. In those situations, I'll lean in and I will be more directive or try and push my questions towards a particular direction or answer otherwise, if we have the time or if we have the ability to pivot, those are often the best learning and coaching opportunities. And so I will create more space and ask more questions for us to get there and to understand my leader and my teammate's thought process. And so, uh, at the end of the day, curiosity for me is less about asking more questions, but creating space to get to better answers and to learn from the moment.

Grace Berman: Okay, Nina, this has been such a great episode and loved hearing about your stories and your advice and, and I feel like we're lucky that you're a fan of this podcast so you know how all episodes end. And we're going to ask you the same thing. What is your one tip that you'd ask our listeners to go out and try right away? So what is your one tip to lead with curiosity?

Nina Prasad: Yeah, I'm going to take us back to the post. It. It's simple, easy. We all have paper with us, so that'd be my top tip.

Grace Berman: Okay, Brilliant. Love that. Nina, thank you so much for being here with us today. Really enjoyed chatting with you.

Nina Prasad: Thank you so much. Grace and Doug, thank you.

Grace Berman: That was a delightful discussion with Nina, wasn't it? I loved her tip at the end. So grab a post, uh, it note or sticky note and just do something simple. Tally statements on the left, questions on the right, and really try to see how many statements or questions might you be saying within a meeting.

Doug Miller: I, uh, completely agree, Grace. And for our listeners, we would love to hear your stories and tips as well. Please click on that survey link in the show notes and give us your insights and feedback. Also, if you Enjoy this podcast, DaVita Leadership Insights, please be sure to show your love by submitting an Apple podcast rating or review.

Grace Berman: And Doug, I'll add just a few more invitations for our listeners. Please share this episode with a teammate so we can continue to spread ripples through through the village. And be sure to follow this show so you don't miss our future DaVita Leadership Insights episodes. And finally, I always do this. I do want to make a shameless plug for our sister podcast, David's Power of Women. I am personally a super fan. Love their episodes, which always inspire and help to foster belonging for women leaders. And until next time, Doug, one for

Doug Miller: all and all for one.