Accelerating Physician Leader Impact: Conor Delaney, M.D.

Dr. Conor Delaney’s leadership journey began with a love for surgery and a curiosity about how systems work. From his early days in transplant immunology to his current role as Executive Vice President of Cleveland Clinic and President of its Florida market, Dr. Delaney has consistently sought out opportunities to build teams, improve care, and lead with purpose. “I like surgery,” he reflects. “But what really kept me moving forward was asking, ‘How can I help? How can I step up?’” 

In this episode in our Accelerating Physician Leader Impact series, Dr. Delaney shares with Michael Anderson, MD, how mentorship and intentionality have shaped his approach to leadership. He emphasizes the importance of creating a culture where people feel comfortable seeking guidance and making decisions collaboratively. Whether mentoring junior residents or leading large hospital teams, Dr. Delaney believes that regular, authentic engagement is key to developing resilient and empowered leaders. 

As healthcare faces unprecedented challenges, Dr. Delaney offers a three-pillar framework for navigating complexity: focus on quality, support your team, and optimize operations. He discusses how aligning people around the shared goal of delivering high-quality care can be a powerful motivator, even in turbulent times.  

The key to physician leadership going forward, he says, is to identify opportunities for talent development earlier and earlier in individuals' careers, so they build a familiarity with leadership before they are called to lead.