I have a pretty strong sense of the impact I can have on people, organizations and society. While I think what I do is pretty cool you shouldn’t just take my word for it.
IN THE WORDS OF MY CLIENTS
I have always seen my client relationships as a partnership built on trust and mutual respect. When I commit to working with an organization, I am 100% all in. I see my role as to create a framework and to guide my clients to places that they might not have been able to achieve on their own. I greatest superpower with respect to my clients is my commitment to telling them what they need to hear, which is not always what they want to hear.
I am here to help cut through the noise in order to properly frame the challenges using all of my education, life experiences and skills. I work to create alignment on how to proceed and then facilitating decision-making based on the information sitting in front of us. I never do things to clients, I always do it with them.
“I had the opportunity to work with Manny during my tenure as CEO of a small, critical access hospital in rural West Virginia. Manny wasn't your run-of-the mill consultant. Immediately upon his arrival to our campus, he studied our culture...invested his time understanding our demographic...and opened my and my team's eyes to future challenges we couldn't presently see. He was sincerely and genuinely interested in understanding rural healthcare challenges to best serve our needs.
Using his strong business acumen, medical expertise and his truly fun personality, Manny challenged us to think differently...in ways we haven't been challenged in the past. Additionally, Manny and his team prepared a well-thought out business plan outlining a "decision support" foundation for our "renovate vs. replace" strategic initiative. The end product was not your every-day, template consulting report. Rather, it was a deliverable proving his authentic interest in understanding our true community needs.”
— R.M., client
“Dr. Hernandez is truly one of the greatest healthcare minds in the industry right now. His knowledge, expertise, and forward-thinking are unparalleled. His open, collaborative approach to leadership coupled with an old-school work ethic, makes all things possible. Always the consummate professional, Dr. Hernandez excels in every facet of healthcare—clinical, operations, business development, strategy, and patient experience. I believe Dr. Hernandez is a true “value-add” to any organization he is afforded the opportunity to serve.”
— N.O., client
“Dr. Hernandez is an innovative, creative, results-based leader who has the ability connect with clients and solve real issues. Rarely, do I meet a health care professional like Manny who thinks differently, gets to the core of a challenge and facilitates real change within a hospital or clinical setting. He understands that 80% of any patients experience is based on the human connection, not a building or technology. His passion guides his clients to real outcomes, many never before understood.”
— S.T., client consultant
“It was a pleasure to work with our team from [the firm]. Loved the added value of accessible data and Dr. Manny’s insights. His straight-forward approach is very much appreciated, and the world needs more of that very thing.”
— R.B., client
IN THE WORDS OF MY COLLEAGUES
Part of my moral compass has always been based on doing what’s right for my community, my clients, my firm and my teams. I possess and old-school work ethic that embraces continuous learning, reflection and self-growth. I have always held myself to the highest standards of excellence but I also understand that excellence is a journey, not a destination.
My colleagues will tell you that I have a iterative approach to my work that is focused on accountability, success and results. When it comes to working with a team, I do not believe that I sit at the head of the table, the table is round. We all bring different skills, experiences and point of view, and they are all relevant and important to getting to a successful solution. I tend to give teams a wide berth to get their work done, always standing ready to be challenged when I am wrong and to provide guidance when the path forward isn’t so clear.
“Dr. Hernandez is a compassionate and insatiably curious change-maker, doing everything he does for all the right reasons. He works hard not because he loves to work (though I think he does!), but because he is constantly in pursuit of the right answers - the ones that underly and cause the problems, not the ones that would just be patches to cover them up. Equal parts creative, analytical, people-focused and passionately dedicated to his chosen life’s work, Dr. Hernandez is an uncommonly humane force for good. Working at the intersection of healthcare, design and leadership, he challenges the status quo while revealing a brighter future. If you are struggling with what’s next for your organization, Dr. Hernandez can almost certainly help you discover that, while also helping you craft an achievable path to get there.”
— P.K., Colleague
“Every once in awhile, I meet one of those rare, singular personalities who leave an indelible mark on any organization they belong to, on any person they may encounter, on any project they undertake. They are the people who don't settle for the status quo and fight everyday to make the impossible possible. Manny is one of these people.
I have been fortunate to work closely with him for over six years now and in that time, have witnessed his capacity as colleague, founder, and leader. As a colleague, Manny guides his teams to focus on excellence and analytical rigor - be it re-envisioning the behavioral care system for the State of Texas or designing the world’s largest emergency department. As founder, he launched the Healthcare Advisory Services Practice at CannonDesign, with the philosophy that design should be imbued in all aspects of healthcare, not just in its physical structures. And as leader, he has challenged a Healthcare Practice of over 500 people across 16 global offices to address very real and pressing issues in the wake of healthcare reform.
Manny is a brilliant strategist, with the elusive qualities of intuition, experiential wisdom, and empirical analytics that allow him to imagine where the next bold leap may come in healthcare design. But what truly sets him apart is his ability to make his colleagues better professionals, his clients more effective providers, and his organizations better places to work.”
— S.M., Colleague
“Manny is the type of person who changes how you look at the world. With a unique world view as a doctor, designer, and trailblazer, he challenges the status quo, asks the tough questions, and provides both value and a breath of fresh air to the conversation around healthcare design.
I worked closely with Manny for four years, working in tandem on brand and marcomm strategy for the healthcare practice, re-defining thought leadership, and working to intimately understand the most pressing challenges our healthcare clients faced.
As a leader, he sets an expectation and encourages you to find your own way to the answer. This leadership style pushes people to pave their own paths, feel confident in their decisions, and truly learn by doing. He encourages experimentation, iteration, and failure as a key part of growth and success for his team, colleagues, and mentees.
Most importantly, Manny is fiercely passionate about making the healthcare landscape better – more consumer-centric, more equitable, more accessible – and this shines through in everything he does as a professional.”
— J.E., Colleague
“‘Ridiculously Intelligent’ - this isn't a phrase that I can use to describe many people, but in Manny's case, it is quite true. I have had the very distinct pleasure to work alongside Manny for 4 years at [the firm].
Watching Manny lead clients toward relevant strategic decisions is like watching an artist create a masterpiece. His expectation of staff on projects will cause you to stretch your own thinking. His co-workers and colleagues knew that they could go to Manny for advice of any kind. If you are fortunate enough to cross paths with this brilliant man, take a moment to marvel at his wit; but know that if you are ever in need; he is someone you want to call your friend.”
— J.D., Colleague
“Manny is a highly talented and passionate designer whose passion and drive is aspirational to all who get to know him. His multifaceted approach to design uses data to get to the heart of what clients need, and his role as a doctor backs up his recommendations with tried-and-true experience. He taught me what it means to be a *healthcare* architect; how our work reaches everyone it touches, from the patients, to the doctors, to the nurses, to the wider community. He has high standards of care, to his clients, to his projects, and to his colleagues. You can't help but want to work harder and reach farther in his presence, because he knows that the work he does matters. He truly wants to change the world for the better, and it shows in everything he does.”
— P.B., Colleague
“Taking bold risks and decisive action with respect to the bigger picture. [Manny has] the ability to cut to the heart of the matter and to push groups towards decision-making when we are either bogged down in detail or have too little information to act.”
— K.B., Colleague