Leadership Journeys [236] - Jason Foster - "People do their best work when they feel safe to disagree."

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast. I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other's stories - of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name. In this episode of Choosing Leadership, Jason Foster, CEO of ORI Biotech, shares how he's reshaping the future of healthcare by leading with purpose, not just profit. From Capitol Hill to health tech, his journey is packed with lessons on building culture, navigating chaos, and staying grounded in a mission that truly matters. We explore why autonomy without alignment can derail a startup, and how fairness and psychological safety drive innovation more than perks ever could. If you're a leader trying to build something that lasts—especially in a fast-moving industry—this conversation will challenge how you think about compensation, culture, and impact. Tune in for real talk, bold ideas, and leadership wisdom you won’t find in a textbook. You can find Jason Foster at the below links https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncfoster/ https://oribiotech.com/connect In the interview, Jason shares "Culture eats structure for breakfast—if you don’t build it intentionally, it builds itself by accident." "We don’t use carrot-and-stick compensation. We aim for fairness, transparency, and intrinsic motivation." "Innovation doesn’t happen in chaos. You need clarity, rhythm, and alignment—even in a startup." "Autonomy is powerful, but without shared purpose and regular check-ins, it becomes a recipe for misalignment." "We’re not here just to build a company—we're here to change how people access lifesaving therapies around the world." "Leadership is less about control and more about removing obstacles so your team can do their best work." "Healthcare today is reactive. What we need is a proactive, tech-enabled system that serves people before they get sick." "Bringing business thinking into public policy could be the key to fixing broken healthcare systems globally." "You can’t scale a mission like ours without scaling trust, transparency, and psychological safety." "I’m here to mentor, support, and build the next wave of health tech leaders—let’s connect."