LEADERSHIP MATTERS , IMMENSELY
by KATHRYN VANCE
On May 10 , Dr . Charles Oberst , Chair of the Cato group , introduced Dr . Thomas Hustead as speaker for their meeting . Dr . Hustead is CEO and Co-Founder of The Referent Group , a physician leadership company . He is a West Point graduate and a retired Army Colonel , once named Flight Surgeon of the Year . After his time at West Point , he went on to medical school at Case Western Reserve and later completed his residency in family medicine .
The presentation started with a video of former West Point women ’ s basketball coach , Maggie Dixon . In 2005 , 11 days before the start of the season , she took her first head coaching job at West Point . She took a team that had , admittedly , not been great in the past , and helped them do things they ’ d never done before . Unfortunately , she died just over a year later . Listening to the players in the video , it was clear that Dixon ’ s leadership unlocked hidden talents and potential . “ Leadership matters , no matter what you ’ re doing – coaching , leading patients in the clinic , in the office work environment , or your family – wherever you are . Leadership brings out the best in people ,” Dr . Hustead said .
According to a survey from the Physician Foundation in 2021 , 61 % of physicians are burned out , 62 % are pessimistic about the future of medicine and 27 % wouldn ’ t choose medicine as a career again . Only 46 % would recommend medicine to future generations . “ We can absolutely do better . We can do it by developing senior leaders who want to invest in the people in their organizations ,” he said .
There are no leadership experts , however , we are experts on our own leadership , Dr . Hustead said . He uses the leader growth model : using your own leadership experiences , take some time to reflect on them and how it impacted you . Ask yourself : what went right ? What went wrong ? Where did I get lucky ? As you continue to reflect on these experiences , you get feedback along the way and get new knowledge and convictions , leading to more experiences - and the cycle continues .
He recalled a time nearly 20 years after he started his leadership journey as a cadet at West Point . He remembers thinking “ You stink as a leader .” Often because he was working so hard , he was taking on so much work himself that he wasn ’ t allowing others to lead and grow . He decided on a core conviction for himself moving forward : he would lead in a way that the people he led would succeed and thrive .
He then shared a video of a physician who went through their leadership program , Dr . Andrea Watson , who said that she needed her potential unlocked . “ If you equip people with the correct way to lead , you will have a stronger hospital and infrastructure all the way around . It matters and it ’ s invaluable . I think I was expected to know how to lead because I was a physician . But there was a lot I needed to learn ,” she said .
He finished the presentation with a quote from Warren Bennis from his book On Becoming a Leader saying , “ People begin to become leaders at the moment they decide for themselves how to be … leaders begin then by backing themselves , inspiring themselves and ultimately inspire others by being trustworthy .”
Leadership matters , immensely .
Kathryn Vance is the Communication Specialist at the Greater Louisville Medical Society .
To view this presentation or other programs from the Cato Society , please contact Kimberly Risinger at kimberly . risinger @ glms . org or 502-736-6366 .
28 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE