Dispensing Leadership: The Forbidden Phrase Amongst Every Pharmacy Team

In episode 13 of Dispensing Leadership, Shawn Bjorndal, PharmD, RPh, and Jesse McCullough, PharmD, tackle a habit that may be quietly undermining pharmacy leaders across the country, while offering a surprisingly simple antidote.

McCullough introduces what he calls the “forbidden phrase of pharmacy leadership,” a pattern of language that sounds something like, “I can't get anybody to do this” or “Nobody is going to want that.” While the phrase may feel like an honest assessment of a difficult situation, McCullough argues it is both factually absolute and fundamentally limiting.

“My thinking shifted dramatically in that people who would use a phrase like this—I can't get anybody to do this thing—at least they recognize that there is some challenge,” said McCullough. “It may seem insurmountable at the time, but at least they recognize that challenge.”

Awareness is the first step, and, according to the hosts, the fix requires just 3 letters: Y-E-T. Reframing the forbidden phrase “nobody wants to do this” as “we haven't led our people to do this yet” shifts pharmacy leaders’ mindsets from defeat to possibility, opening the door to greater patience, resilience, and creativity when navigating team resistance.

In the latest episode, Bjorndal and McCullough ground this abstract concept in real pharmacy scenarios—from scaling immunization programs to generic drug adoption—illustrating how this small linguistic shift can carry practical weight for pharmacy leaders at every level.

In Dispensing Leadership, a podcast offering from Drug Topics and RPhAlly, Bjorndal and McCullough discuss essential leadership skills for pharmacists, how to develop them, and how to advance the pharmacy profession. All new episodes of Dispensing Leadership will be available in a video format via DrugTopics.com during the second week of each month. Check out our February episode: Dispensing Leadership: Embracing Discomfort.

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