Understand the simple skills to step into your leadership roll with some elegance and grace.
Stop giving orders, start asking questions, lead with your vision and values and watch everything get easier.
1) To become a better leader ... you have to Un-Learn a few things.
Mark Twain said it this way:
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.
The leadership paradigm we learn by osmosis in training is the biggest thing you will need to let go of.
Read "3 Reasons Physicians Make Naturally Lousy Leaders
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2) Realize that poor leadership is one of the five main causes of physician burnout
Poor leaders burn out their followers. The only thing worse than a poor leader is no leader at all. Recent research shows this is fundamentally true for employee physicians just like it is in any other industry outside of healthcare. You do not want to be the leader that burns out your people - right?
CLICK to read Physician Leadership can Cause Physician Burnout
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3) Understand the fundamental currency of leadership.
There is a current running through all your interactions with team members. It hums along invisibly and will determine every ounce of your success in your leadership role. Understand this glue that sticks your teams together and and things get much easier.
CLICK to learn the Fundamental Currency of Leadership
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4) First Step? Give up the Lone Ranger and become a Team Captain.
By the end of a minimum of 7 years in the medical education system, you are hard wired to be the proverbial Lone Ranger. Give that up. It won't work for you when you are trying to drive excellence in team based care.
Leadership gets MUCH easier when you do these three things
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5) What would you say is the #1 skill for effective leadership?
In our experience, one skill rules them all (that is indeed a Lord of the Rings reference). Learn this one immensely simple tool and your success in leadership is virtually assured.
Leadership's #1 Skill and the Lone Ranger test to know when you failed.
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6) Visit our Library of Clinical Team Leadership tools as well.
Especially if you are a "straddle leader" - a physician with a dual job description. You see patients part time and serve in a leadership role part time as well. If that is you ... these skills on the clinical side are just as important as your skills as an administrative leader.
CLICK for the Clinical Team Leader Resource Library
Check out our Employee Physician Tools Library
Back to the Physician Leadership Tools Library
