Eric Jensen is EVP of health system products and strategy at Healthgrades, an online resource about physicians and hospitals.

What’s your morning ritual?

I do 30 minutes of meditation almost every day. I am a huge fan of the Headspace app, which has helped me establish a regular routine and change my mindset about the inevitable issues and challenges that come up in everyday life.

How did you get into the industry?

Growing up, my mother was a nurse, so I was always interested in the healthcare sector. My first opportunity to work in healthcare came several years into my experience at McKinsey & Co. when I had the opportunity to work with a for-profit health system developing their corporate strategy. I was immediately hooked. I was fascinated by the range and complexity of issues that a healthcare leader needs to deal with in their day to day work, from clinical issues to reimbursement to regulatory concerns.

And of course, like many others, I got into healthcare because it matters. Healthcare is sometimes a matter of life or death, but is almost always a matter of quality of life. Since that first consulting project, I’ve worked with healthcare providers, health insurance companies, the federal government, and a range of healthcare IT companies.

At Healthgrades, my role enables me to leverage this broad experience to help hospitals, pharma, and CPG companies more effectively engage consumers. I continue to be challenged intellectually and motivated to make healthcare work better, and can’t imagine working on anything more important.

See also: Leadership Exchange: Engaging the Millennial Doctor

What is the best part of your job?

I get to work in a fast-paced environment with incredibly talented people and have the opportunity to drive change in the industry, helping our partners to evolve to reflect the reality that the consumer sits at the center of the healthcare ecosystem. I read somewhere that “patients get care, consumers make choice.”

What is the best career advice you’ve received?

To smile more. I am a pretty easygoing person, but at work I want to win. Earlier in my career, this desire to win often translated into a serious demeanor, making me unapproachable. People around me could sense my impatience and this often didn’t help my effectiveness. As I’ve worked to bring my true self to work, I’ve found that I’ve become a more effective leader and I am less stressed, as is my team.

What are you reading?

I recently finished reading Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to grow a successful business in the high-tech space. Since then, I’ve moved on to Sense of Style by Steven Pinker, which provides fantastic guidance on how to be a clear and effective writer.