Derek Taylor, MBA, CRA, RT (R, MR)
Derek Taylor, MBA, CRA, RT (R, MR), is a former director of imaging services with almost 20 years of experience. He most recently served as director of radiology at Memorial Hospital of South Bend.
From Radiology Transporter to Imaging Services Director
He worked his way to the top after humble beginnings as a radiology transporter while attending X-ray school. Looking back, he knows that an imaging career was the correct choice for him.
“I loved my job because it allowed me to work on something that was bigger than myself. It was a calling where I wanted to do my very best so that I could be proud of what our team was doing for our community,” Derek says.
When asked about his greatest accomplishment, Derek emphasized the team aspect of diagnostic imaging within healthcare.
“My greatest accomplishment is leading people who knew that I cared about them and gave my very best every day to ensure they had the best tools and technology to take care of the patients we served,” he says.
A Servant Leadership Style: “A Privilege to Be Earned”
His teamwork outlook also showed up in his leadership approach.
“My leadership style is as a servant leader,” Derek says. “I’ve always approached leadership as a privilege to be earned every day as opposed to a title to be defended. I believe that any great leader understands that they work for their people, not the other way around.”
The Mentors Who Shaped His Imaging Leadership
It is a style he picked up along his career that included working with some amazing people. He shared how two mentors helped mold his approach to leadership.
“Ray Kiendl, was a director of radiology who helped me to understand that to be an effective imaging leader, it would be easier to have more than one modality under my belt. And I needed to go back to school to pursue my advanced degrees,” Derek says.
“Diana Custer was also someone who had a positive impact on my career,” he adds. “She showed me what it meant to lean in rather than lean on people who might be struggling. She also taught me that sometimes when difficult decisions have to be made, even though it can affect people and relationships, the decisions are business decisions. That was hard for me to understand as a new leader, but her advice helped me through some challenging times when business decisions were made.”
Derek also shares that he has tried to pay it forward and previously had an opportunity to mentor a couple of managers that were brought onto his team and he “really enjoyed watching others grow both personally and professionally.”
Life Beyond the Radiology Department
Derek has been married to his wife, Carrie, for almost 27 years. She runs a successful escape room business. The couple has two adult children.
“They are my biggest blessings, and I’m extremely proud of all of them,” Derek says.
On another note, mentoring is not the only way Derek has been able to “pay it forward.”
“One of the things I’ve done both as a side hustle and as a volunteer is hosted trivia nights. My wife and I, over a period of 5 years, raised over $30,000 which we donated to our local children’s hospital,” Derek says. “I’m also hosting the first ever annual trivia night at this year’s AHRA Annual Meeting in Orlando.”
