In any leadership role, one of the most nuanced and intricate challenges faced is leading individuals with whom you may not personally resonate. The dynamic of leading someone you may not like or with whom you may not share mutual interests can be a pivotal learning opportunity. For physicians, the ability to work harmoniously with all types of personalities is not just a soft skill—it's a necessity. The effectiveness of your leadership is not measured by how well you lead those you favor but by how successfully you lead those with whom you have differences.

The essence of professionalism is rooted in putting personal preferences aside to achieve a larger mission. While it's natural to gravitate towards those with similar personalities or interests, leadership requires a broader perspective. A leader must be able to unite diverse individuals under a shared goal, and this sometimes means leading those you might not personally connect with.

The stakes are high for many...

 In the realm of healthcare management, maintaining a strong and stable practice is of paramount importance. As a physician, practice administrator, or hospital executive, your role as a healthcare business leader involves providing excellent patient care and ensuring that your team operates effectively and harmoniously. One often underestimated factor that can significantly affect the dynamics within a healthcare facility is the attitude of its employees. The attitudes and behaviors of your staff can influence everything from patient satisfaction to the overall efficiency of your practice. This article delves into the critical topic of how retaining an employee with a bad attitude can impact the morale of other employees, and it provides insights into strategies for dealing with such situations.

The Importance of Employee Morale

Maintaining high morale among your healthcare team is vital for several reasons. In the challenging and often emotionally charged healthcare...

Trust is the bedrock of healthy relationships, communities, and societies. It facilitates cooperation, fosters connection, and promotes overall well-being. However, certain behaviors can undermine and destroy trust, leading to severe and long-lasting consequences. I have seen what happens to organizations when trust is eroded, and it isn't fun to watch. Four behaviors seem to appear right before trust goes down the drain. They are breaking promises, engaging in gossip, withholding information, and being two-faced. By understanding the impact of these behaviors, we can strive to build stronger, more reliable connections and foster a culture of trust in our personal and professional lives.

1. Breaking Promises: The Shattering of Trust

Promises are the building blocks of trust; breaking them can have a profound impact. When promises are broken, whether intentionally or unintentionally, trust is shattered. It leaves the other party feeling disappointed, hurt, and questioning the...

As I've studied leaders and leadership over the years, I discovered many share similar qualities and practices. I learned many of these from leadership giants such as Peter Drucker, John Maxwell, Steven Covey, and others. I've assembled those that have helped me the most in my journey and would like to share them with you. 

Leadership Qualities

1. Leaders know where their time goes. Influential leaders and productive people understand time is limited. If you think about it, time is a funny thing for humans. It's a finite resource and one in which we genuinely don't know how much we have. It's non-renewable, and once it's gone, it's gone. Yet, many of us live our lives without any regard for the preciousness of time. Think about the last bad movie you watched. What were you more upset about, wasting $12 or ninety minutes of your time? Strong leaders know how to budget and control their time. I think Steven Covey's Habit #3 sums this concept up the best. In his book, Seven Habits...

After working with many clients over the years, I've discovered there are two reasons a practice has issues, knowledge and leadership. Knowledge can be an easy fix. Often, the leaders might know they lack information and actively seek it. It can be challenging to obtain some kinds of knowledge quickly. The second cause, a lack of leadership, is much more challenging to correct. Almost every issue a practice faces after the knowledge problem is fixed is a result of poor leadership.

1. Financial issues. If you're having financial problems, it's likely because you've made poor decisions. Leadership is not about having the title of leader. It's about gathering the data and making a sensible decision. Often when I first coach leaders, they place too much emphasis on their emotions and how they feel personally. Many don't want to own their mistakes. We tend to look for others to blame for our poor performance. Your financial problems are a result of your leadership decisions. Recognize...

Suffice it to say, the world is in a crisis. In America, our health systems are experiencing a crisis. Leadership is critical for not only you but your staff and patients. To help you lead effectively, follow these suggestions as you navigate these tricky waters. Strong leadership depends on clear decision-making skills. One thing I lean on is my aviation training. The methodology has helped analyze situations and make good decisions not only as I fly my plane, but as I work in the clinical setting.

1. Determine the situation. Try to figure out what’s going on. What is the current situation? What has happened? How bad is it? What are the risks we face as a result of the situation? In the airplane, it might be we just lost an engine, or our radios stopped working. In my clinical setting, it might be the patient is suddenly hypotensive or their peak airway pressures are elevated, and it’s becoming challenging to oxygenate the patient.
2. Understand the hazards and risks....

Forming a strong connection with those you lead is crucial if you are to have success in your efforts. The stronger the bond, the more likely those you lead will want to help you achieve your goals and objectives. Here are some useful reminders that will help you form those strong connections with others.

1. Know yourself. To connect with others, you must first connect with yourself. Understand who you are and have confidence in yourself to communicate with others. Be willing to be a little vulnerable. It’ll demonstrate you’re human.
2. Be open and sincere. Don’t fake it. If you are giving information, be sincere. People will see through insincerity. Humans are better lie detectors than you give them credit for.
3. Know your audience. Invest the time and energy to learn people’s names. Be interested in their histories. Ask questions to discover their dreams. Once you understand them, you’ll be able to speak to what they care about.
4. Practice what you preach. Are...

Groupthink. It’s probably one of the biggest hurdles you will encounter as you lead change. It’s common and subtle in the impediment it places on your efforts to make things better for your organization. 

Recently, I attended a group meeting of a physician group who is a client. The group does have elected officers, but each physician of the group feels they have an equal voice. The group feels it’s incredibly important to have a consensus before making any decision. If a decision isn’t reached, they opt to stay the same and maintain their current trajectory. In this case, a vendor owed the group a large sum of money. However, not everyone wanted to take action against the vendor. While it is in the group’s best interest to terminate the vendor and stop losing money on a bad deal, there were not enough physicians who wanted to terminate the agreement. Therefore, the group finds themselves in the position of contenting to work with a vendor who is...

Your vision of the future is the guiding light for your company. To attain that vision, every leader must communicate clearly and effectively the future they see. To make a powerful impact on your organization, you will need to ensure you have shared your message clearly. The next time you’re preparing to share your vision, use these questions to help you develop the message you want to send.

1. Does this message have clarity? Your communication should include what the people must know and what you want them to know. This information brings understanding to your vision message. Who, what, when, where, why, and how should be answered as much as possible in your message.
2. Does this message provide the context for this vision? Have I connected the past with the present, and together, does that paint the future in a way that is simple to understand? Have I connected the dots from the past to the present and show how that leads to the future? When in doubt, spend more time explaining...

Often I work with physicians who have effective decision making in clinical practice. They are smart people who have challenging times making decisions. It seems the steps to successfully make a good decision in the business can sometimes seem beyond their grasp. I think this has to do with the nature of being a physician. We tend to believe we must solve all the issues, have all the answers, and take all of the responsibility. In medicine, that might be true for your patient, but in your business, the reality is something entirely different.

Over the years, I’ve applied what my mentor taught about problem-solving to many different situations. His advice has not failed me, and I’m honored and excited to share it with you. The concepts are simple, but the implementation might require you to change your mindset.

1. Properly define the problem before attempting to fix it. To fix something, we should first figure out how it’s broken. Too many times, we rush out and treat...