Physician Leadership Of Teams, Part II

Read Part 1 of Physician Leadership Of Teams here.

Developing Your Team and Increasing Its Effectiveness

Leadership involves skills and abilities that are useful whether you are a physician in clinical practice or an executive in industry.  You could be developing a new medical device or managing a clinical trial for a pharmaceutical company.  Simply put, leadership is everyone’s business.  And the ability to build a team and improve its performance is becoming increasing important.     

Charles Elachi, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, put it best: “No matter how good you are, the thing that makes the difference between success and failure is how good a team you have.”  The team you build, develop, and contribute to will reflect—above all else—the behavior you model.  The symbolic aspect of your behavior, both as a team leader and as a team member, is often its most influential dimension.

In my experience, the best teams demonstrate a number of key attributes.  Here’s what I’ve learned about high-performing teams—and what we can do as leaders of teams:

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Getting The Most From Feedback As A Physician

What physician leaders can do to improve their effectiveness.

So, you thought you were doing okay on the job—but your performance review is not what you expected.  Or you finally land the new job you wanted at big pharma—and then you experience your first 360° review.  How do others perceive you on the job?  How do the views of your manager, direct reports, and peers compare to how you perceive yourself? 

You may think of yourself in terms of your good intentions and potential to take on more responsibilities.  You may also be thinking about your self-confidence, expectations for growth and development, and personal values.  But others are thinking in terms of your behaviors, your reputation and track record, their expectations of your performance, and your “perceived” values.  How do you deal with feedback from others regarding your leadership—and what can you do to be more effective?

Keep in mind that great leaders drive better results.  They convey a sense of purpose that motivates others, they build the best teams, and they are good role models.  Simply put, a great leader is someone others would be willing to follow.  How can you use feedback to make your good performance even better?            

Helpful Tips               

• Have an open mind
• Take time to understand
• Show appreciation
• Follow through
• Turn good to great       

 Things to Avoid

• Asking others to publicly explain their feedback
• Over-reacting
• Acting too slowly
• Focusing only on the low scores

After you get your feedback, follow these three simple steps.  First, analyze your feedback results.  Seek first to understand what you are hearing—and how it relates to your job.  As a former boss taught me years ago, “Feedback is a gift.”  It’s like an open-book test—and will guide you to actions you can take to improve your performance.  Second, ask yourself the “Questions to Consider” listed below.  You will need to have an open mind—and be honest with yourself.  And finally, spend some time in reflection.  As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Love your enemies—for they tell you your faults.”                                      

Questions to Consider When Analyzing Feedback

Understanding the feedback

• Have you received this kind of feedback (this particular message) before?
• What would your closest friends tell you about this?
• What other observations have you or other people made that relate to this?
• Is there a specific work relationship that you think might be helpful to work on?
• Is this something you feel you can change?

 Exploring the Importance of the Feedback

• Have you worked for a leader who needed to work on this type of area (difficulty or improvement opportunity)?  How did it affect you?
• How does this issue relate to your effectiveness as a leader?
• What is going to help you deliver better results?
• What will make you a truly extraordinary leader?

 Generating Ideas

• Which of your skills would be most helpful to you in working in this area?  (How can you leverage your strengths?)
• What have you done in the past that you thought was really effective in this area?
• Can you think of exemplary leaders around you that are particularly good in this area?  What have you observed them doing?  Do you think any of them would be willing to serve as a mentor for you?
• Whose opinion do you really respect on this?  Would they be willing to help?

Focusing on a weakness is appropriate, when the weakness is a potential derailment factor.  Strong negative data on an important issue can cripple a person’s leadership effectiveness.  

The Most Common Derailers

• Inability to practice self-development (specifically by failing to learn from mistakes).  In most cases, it is not a matter of can’t—it is won’t.
• Lack of core interpersonal skills
• Lack of openness to new or different ideas (resulting in a failure to innovate or lead change).  Some people simply get stuck in their ways. 
• Lack of accountability (failure to focus on results)
• Failure to take initiative.  Don’t assume that what got you where you are today will take you where you need to be in the future.  You will need to take action to continuously improve your performance and leadership potential. 

Change Requires Practice

Frequently, people underestimate the difficulty of change.  A key to developing a new skill is finding a way to practice.  Look for opportunities to broaden your exposure to your business and consider engaging a mentor.

Summary

• Great leaders make a difference.  
• Spend more time building your strengths.  
• Companion behaviors provide new pathways to leadership effectiveness.
• If you have a derailment factor, work on it.

The Essence Of A Physician Leader

Evolving view of physician leadership: Breaking the mold.

Prevailing models of leadership have prevented organizations from developing a broad range of leaders who can work together to create strong leadership teams.  Conventional models are now giving way to a different approach to leadership.  Physicians looking for non-clinical roles may have a competitive advantage, given their backgrounds and the evolving view of leadership in industry.   

In the past, conventional wisdom suggested there was one best way to be a leader.  Neophytes were taught that leaders were born with the skills they needed—and further development was not necessary.  The privileged few led by telling others what to do, and their subordinates were expected to follow.  These leaders tended to be autonomous and often made decisions and took action independent of others.  Like the fictional character, the “Lone Ranger,” this type of leader became an enduring icon of American culture.     

Today, a new model of leadership is emerging.  The trend suggests there is more than one way to demonstrate leadership.  A diverse set of leadership styles is essential for the success of an organization.  Leadership involves skills and abilities that can be learned—and all leaders—regardless of their level and experience—can strengthen and improve their skills. Moreover, the best leaders are also team players.  They operate systemically, much like a team captain.

Conventional Model                  Emerging Model

One best way                           Leadership pathways

Static                                        Developmental

Born                                          Made

Individual                                  Systemic

Lone Ranger                             Team Captain

What Physician Leaders Really Do

Many have expounded on the difference between management and leadership.  Simply put, management is about coping with complexity; leadership is about dealing with change.  Leadership complements management; it doesn’t replace it.  Physicians seeking leadership positions in industry will need to understand the difference—and build on their clinical experience. 

The Difference between Management & Leadership

Companies manage complexity by planning and budgeting—and setting goals for the future.  By contrast, leading an organization to change begins with setting a direction, developing a vision and strategy for the future.   Setting the direction of change is fundamental to leadership.    

Management develops the capacity to achieve its plan by organizing and staffing, creating an organizational structure and delegating responsibility.  Leadership is about aligning people around the change vision. 

Management ensures its plan is achieved by controlling people, monitoring results, and problem solving.  But in leadership, achieving a vision is about motivating and inspiring people—keeping them moving in the right direction.

Despite leadership’s growing importance, the on-the-job experiences of most people undermine their ability to lead.  One way to develop leadership is to create challenging opportunities for yourself or your staff members.  A key to developing a new skill is finding a way to practice, which you can do through a special assignment to broaden your exposure.  More importantly, some say that creating a culture of leadership is the ultimate act of leadership.  Physicians in industry may be uniquely suited to drive this change in culture and mindset. 

Management                                     Leadership                  

Planning and budgeting                    Setting direction

Organizing and staffing                     Aligning people

Controlling and problem solving        Motivating and inspiring people

Produces predictability and order         Produces change

Non-Clinical Careers: Working For A Large Corporation

Physicians looking for non-clinical careers in industry can learn from the mistakes of others.

In general, physicians are an independent breed—and have traditionally been captains of their own ship. Some may have gone to medical school partly to become their own boss. Private practice allows for such independent-spirited behavior.  

All this seems to be changing, doesn’t it? Rapidly, one way or another, physicians are becoming part of large organizations. Very few graduates of residency programs are starting their own practices—and the number joining a private practice is shrinking. Many are becoming salaried employees of large medical groups or healthcare organizations.  This may say something about the lack of independent business sprit among physicians, or it may say something about their lack of options in this regard.

Some may be coping with the situation reasonably well.  But what about those who are looking for non-clinical roles in industry? If you choose to pursue a career in a leading medical device or pharmaceutical company, you could be adjusting to a new reality—working for a very large corporation, with tens of thousands of employees. One of the pharmaceutical giants now has over 120,000 employees! 

I have worked in both the medical device and pharmaceutical industries for 30 years. My career has involved senior management roles in companies ranging from $100 million in sales and 300 employees to over $15 billion in sales and 20,000 employees. While the overall experience has been very positive, the process was not always smooth for a physician learning about business in real time.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to give the impression that the view from the top is not worth the climb in industry. You may very well find the right company with an incredibly rewarding role for the next chapter of your life. But you should go in with your eyes open.  

I want to share some observations and insights I have gained in the process of adjusting to working for a large corporation. Yes, there are many books on how organizations should work. But then, corporations don’t always read these books. So, I will draw from my own experience—and the mistakes I’ve made in my career transitions.  Why should I be the only one to learn from my mistakes?

First mistake: I thought it would be easy. Since medical device and pharmaceutical companies are in the healthcare arena, I thought the organizations would make it quick and easy for a physician to work in industry.  But my experience in medicine did not prepare me for the way a staff member of a large organization has to move at the speed of the whole organization—and in paths the organization had laid out. Large organizations are complex, and their decision-making processes may be convoluted.  Organizations have their own cultures and hierarchies, and each has different channels for information.  And it isn’t just that the decision-making is a slow and complicated process.  Just learning how it works (and how to make it work) requires considerable time and effort.  Get ready to learn a whole new language and set of acronyms for each business. 

Second mistake: I assumed the organization would adjust for me. The culture of an organization is a complex set of behavior patterns, values, and beliefs. Joining a large corporation requires that you become a part of this culture. Thinking that you can change the culture is hopelessly naïve.  Of course, the culture of any organization must evolve, and you may be an important part of this evolution.  But ultimately, you will be expected to adjust to the organization rather than vice versa.    

Large organizations are a great pool or resources, but these resources are not always there to help you. Change or development in one area usually means de-emphasis in another. As a result, some of the organization will always be skeptical or threatened by change—and may act in ways intended to protect their area at the expense of others. Moreover, even with conceptual support for what you do, everyone is very busy keeping his or her own house in order—and may not have much time to assist you. At times, it feels as though you succeed in spite of the organization rather than because of it. 

Third mistake: I assumed I’d have better work-life balance. A clinical practice can be very rewarding.  Unfortunately, this comes at a price—for the demands are high, and the hours are long. When I decided to work in industry, I expected there would be some trade-offs. I thought I would have to give up something financially—but I would have more time for family and other interests.    

What I have learned is that the demands can be just as high, and the hours can be even longer in a senior management role in a large corporation. Performance expectations revolve around delivering results (measured frequently) and creating value for shareholders and staff as well as patients. Senior executives are expected be available virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  And some roles may require a significant amount of travel—and time away from family. While some companies talk about work-life balance, this could prove to be an unrealistic expectation.