“What works in medicine doesn’t always work in business. Doctors operate in a culture of autonomy and individualism. Businesspeople emphasize collaboration.”
Pursuing business without blind spots
Paletta has been a practicing orthopedic surgeon for 20 years. When he enrolled in the Executive MBA program, he knew he had blind spots. But he figured they were in exclusively quantitative areas, like finance.
“I found that my biggest blind spots were in leadership and emotional intelligence,” he says. “What works in medicine doesn’t always work in business. Doctors operate in a culture of autonomy and individualism. Businesspeople emphasize collaboration.”
His concerns about enrolling in the program
“I had no trepidation about the academics. My two concerns were how I would react and fit in to a team-based environment. Would all members pull their weight?
“I was surprised by the breadth of experience of my cohort and the willingness of each individual to educate his or her fellow students. We learned from one another.”
On faculty accessibility
“Late in the program, I had the opportunity to interview for a potential position with a venture capital firm in San Francisco. Even post-graduation, EMBA professors were readily available and helped me prepare for the interview process."
George A. Paletta, Jr., MD
Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon, St. Louis Cardinals
Partner, The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis
Background
Education: BA, Chemistry, College of the Holy Cross; MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine
