Culture Change RX

Culture Bytes: From "I Have To" to "I Get To": The Shift That Changes Leadership

Sue Tetzlaff Season 3 Episode 120

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0:00 | 23:49

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In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff explores a simple but powerful truth: leadership is hard — but the experience of that “hard” can look very different depending on how leaders connect to their work.

Inspired by watching the intensity and passion of NHL playoff hockey, Sue draws a compelling parallel between athletes who embrace the difficulty of the game because they love it — and leaders who either thrive or burn out based on their connection to purpose and meaning.

Sue contrasts transactional leadership (“I have to”) with transformational leadership (“I get to”), highlighting how the same responsibilities can feel either draining or energizing depending on mindset and connection to purpose.

This episode is a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t just about what you do — it’s about how you experience the work and the energy you bring to it.

If leadership in your organization feels heavy instead of meaningful, Capstone can help. Start with a conversation about how to re-energize your leadership team and strengthen your culture: CapstoneLeadership.net/Contact-Us


We’re stepping forward in a bigger way—growing our team of rural healthcare experts, growing our capabilities by adding a strategic planning division … all of this so we can expand our ability to help even more rural hospitals and other small healthcare organizations in 2026. … We’d love to explore how we can support your organization in being the provider- and employer-of-choice so you can keep care local and margins strong! Learn more at CaptoneLeadership.net


Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at info@capstoneleadership.net and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.