Jack Shields
In the last Lunch & Learn of the semester, Jack Shields, Founder and CEO of Shields Health Solutions, shared his career path in healthcare entrepreneurship and how he has “done well by doing good.” Shields Health Solutions is one of the fastest growing private companies in America. Prior to this company, Jack was the President of Shields MRI for 20 years. His extensive involvement in healthcare was inspired by his mother, a nurse who dedicated her life to help others.
Jack advised students to accept that any thesis they have will have its defects, so they must be willing to pivot and not be tied down to a specific method or idea. He continued this emphasis by hoping that students find the defects of their thesis quickly while spending as little money and time as possible.
Another theme that Jack was passionate about was the importance of the team you pick to work with. For him, Jack likes to surround himself with individuals who have been in leadership roles, for example captains of sports teams. Besides forming a strong team, Jack stressed the value of good culture within a company, claiming that “good culture drives bad people out.”
Jack left students with an encouraging note to never quit, regardless of the self doubt that comes with entrepreneurship, and to strive to build a company on kindness.