In accepting the prestigious John W. Webb Award from Northeastern University and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), John S. Clark, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FASHP shared a powerful message about the critical importance of teamwork, trust, and appreciation in advancing the profession.
“This award is not just a recognition of my work, but a testament to the incredible support I’ve received from so many remarkable individuals,” Clark said, expressing deep gratitude to family, mentors, colleagues, and the broader pharmacy community.
Clark highlighted strategies for cultivating high-performing collaborative teams, drawing on frameworks from respected leadership experts.
“When envisioning my talk, I knew that I wanted to focus on teamwork,” he said. “Some of the key elements include investing in relationship-building practices, modeling collaborative behaviors, creating a ‘gift culture’ of mentorship, and ensuring teams have the right mix of task-oriented and relationship-oriented leaders.”
Diversity was emphasized as a crucial component of effective teams. “Diverse teams devise better solutions with outstanding results,” Clark noted, encouraging efforts to increase representation across dimensions like race, gender, age, and socioeconomic background.
Underlying all of this, the speaker stressed the foundational importance of trust. Referencing research on the “trust triangle” of authenticity, logic, and empathy, he urged leaders to proactively address “trust wobbles” that can undermine teamwork.
“High performing teams do not leave collaboration to chance – they plan for it. They ensure colleagues are kept informed, share credit, and view disagreement as an opportunity to grow stronger.”
One of the most powerful messages centered on the critical role of appreciation and gratitude. Clark shared a personal experience of implementing a daily habit to ensure he acknowledged his team’s contributions.
“In many of your first positions, you will see tens, if not hundreds, of process-oriented improvements that you want to make,” he told the audience of pharmacy students, residents, and practioners. “However, before you can be an expert in anything within the profession of pharmacy, I recommend you become an expert in appreciation.”
Clark emphasized simple yet impactful ways to show appreciation, such as recognizing people’s presence, contributions, personal lives, and professional development needs. “For workplaces that show appreciation regularly, the employees feel more joy and optimism about their organization, team, and leadership.”
Throughout the lecture, the speaker wove in lessons and advice from previous Webb Award recipients, underscoring the award’s legacy and impact on the profession. This included encouragement to “dream big, work hard, and stay humble” – a mantra the speaker shared with his own children.
“As I was chosen for this award, I was stunned,” he concluded. “The selection reminds me that ordinary people change the world and make a difference.” With a call to “be fiercely collaborative,” the speaker pledged to uphold the principles of John W. Webb and advance the vision of ASHP.
