Johns Hopkins President Emeritus William Brody on Leading with Uncommon Sense

Dean Lloyd Minor welcomes William Brody, MD, PhD, president emeritus of Johns Hopkins University, for a conversation about leadership, critical thinking, and lessons from his career spanning academia, medicine, and entrepreneurship. They discuss insights from Brody's 2026 book "Uncommon Sense: Rethinking Ordinary Problems in Extraordinary Ways," including the roles of preparation and opportunity in success, the importance of authenticity in leadership and the value of building meaningful relationships over collecting accolades. They also explore Brody’s philosophy as president of Johns Hopkins, as well as the benefits of questioning conventional wisdom. To learn more about The Minor Consult podcast, visit theminorconsult.com. About The Minor Consult Podcast The Minor Consult explores what it means to be a great leader today. Hosted by Stanford School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, the podcast convenes top minds from across fields to share their perspectives, impart lessons from their careers, and discuss the complex challenges that leaders face. Through their conversations, Dr. Minor unearths the qualities and skills that help leaders to succeed. Dr. Minor has served as Dean since 2012 and is also a professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Stanford School of Medicine. Under his leadership, Stanford Medicine has emerged as a leader in the Precision Health revolution, which emphasizes preventive, personalized health care and leverages advances in biomedicine to treat and cure complex diseases. With more than 160 published articles and chapters, Dr. Minor is an expert in balance and inner ear disorders. In 2012, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Disclaimer: Lloyd Minor has no financial interests in or formal relationships with the organizations of his guests. . . . Stanford Medicine advances human health through world-class biomedical research, education and patient care. Bringing together the resources of Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford Medicine is committed to training future leaders in biomedicine and translating the latest discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. The Stanford Medicine YouTube channel is a curated collection of contributions from our School of Medicine departments, divisions, students, and the community. Our diverse content includes coverage of events, presentations, lectures, and associated stories about the people of Stanford Medicine.