LEADERS IN MEDICINE
On the Importance of Physician Leadership
What is leadership ?
At a very basic level , leadership is about leading people . That sounds obvious and tautological , but one also finds that there are as many definitions and teachings about leadership as there are people willing to offer their perspectives on the topics . At a fundamental level , leadership is about articulating a vision , setting direction for a group and motivating others to follow . As a result , goals are accomplished through the leadership of an individual through the direction of other people .
Leaders need both people skills and technical skills to be effective , but what is reassuring is that just as you have trained to become a physician , you can train to become a leader as well . Instead of assuming that a “ natural-born leader ” requires an innate gift , we ’ ve learned that leadership skills can be developed and honed over a career . Yes , leaders need to understand certain technical skills , but perhaps more importantly , people skills and “ soft ” skills are critical to being a successful leader .
Very frequently , the differences between leadership and management are blurred , co-mingled or just mispresented . Both are about getting things done in an organization . But whereas management is about controlling a set of assets ( people-included ) to getting an objective done , leadership is about leading people through influence and motivation to add value to an organization . 1
14 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE by ALEXANDER DING , MD What about physician leadership ?
Whether we physicians realize it or not , by virtue of our roles , we physicians are leaders . Physicians are and must be the leaders of the clinical team and of clinical organizations . We hold the ultimate responsibility for patient care and doing so embodies leadership . Even in small practices , we are leaders of a clinical team . Other health care professionals and patients look to us for guidance and leadership by virtue of our credentials and expertise . Those of us in private practice , as shareholders and equity owners of practices , are also business managers and leaders . And those of us employed in organizations , whether those are large-multispecialty clinic practices , integrated delivery networks , corporate settings or academic institutions , are increasingly given opportunities to lead operational and strategic teams . Many physicians also take active roles in our communities , and even without formal roles are seen as community leaders .
And yet for all the demands of physicians to be leaders , medical training , despite its intensity and length , leaves much to be desired in formal leadership training . Medical training is highly technical and focuses deeply on producing excellent clinicians . During our training , I would argue , there is also decent training in biomedical research and teaching . And perhaps one could argue that as a resident , we led other more junior trainees , but that was largely a hidden curriculum of leadership training .
But formal leadership education and training covers a broad set