Strategic Conversations

What if the same negotiation skills used to save hostages could help physicians lead better teams, reduce burnout, and transform healthcare from the inside out?

In this episode of PEMBA On Demand, host Dr. Norman A. Chapin sits down with Camilo R. Gomez, MD, MBA, and former FBI lead hostage negotiator Christopher Voss to explore how elite negotiation strategies can reshape leadership in healthcare.

Drawing from their new book Strategic Conversations, the conversation bridges the worlds of medicine and high stakes negotiation. Dr. Gomez and Christopher Voss explain how principles like tactical empathy, calibrated questions, ethical ambition, and disciplined curiosity can improve physician leadership, strengthen care teams, reduce burnout, and create better outcomes for patients and organizations alike.

This episode challenges traditional command and control leadership models and offers physicians a practical framework for navigating conflict, complexity, and change with clarity and confidence.

Key Topics Covered

Applying FBI hostage negotiation principles to healthcare leadership
Tactical empathy as a leadership and communication tool
Moving from authority based leadership to influence based leadership
Reducing burnout through better conversations and alignment
Ethical ambition and its role in modern medical leadership
Improving collaboration across care teams and organizations
Navigating high pressure conversations with patients and colleagues
Building trust and psychological safety in clinical environments
Creating sustainable win win outcomes in healthcare systems

Guest's Bio:

Dr. Camilo R. Gomez, MD, MBA

Dr. Camilo R. Gomez is a physician, author, and healthcare executive with a focus on leadership, ethics, and system level improvement. He brings deep experience at the intersection of medicine, strategy, and communication, helping clinicians navigate complex professional environments with clarity and purpose.

Christopher Voss

Christopher Voss is a former FBI lead international hostage negotiator and the founder of Black Swan Group. He is the bestselling author of Never Split the Difference and a globally recognized expert in negotiation, communication, and decision making under pressure.