Physician leadership is critical for better patient outcomes, clinical performance and professional satisfaction.
A successful leader is someone who has goals and is able to motivate those around them to work toward achieving those goals.
In order to achieve these goals, Doctors must possess key qualities that are essential for being an effective leader.
Good listener. Listening and responding to feedback is crucial. Try using patient surveys to identify areas of weakness and improvement.
Additionally, listen to feedback from your staff. This feedback is critical to identifying problems, decreasing employee turnover, and improving morale for your employees.
Creates A Diverse and Inclusive Workplace Culture. The greatest leaders realize early that they will be the most successful by surrounding themselves with diverse individuals. Simply having a formal leadership title does not make one an effective leader. It is essential to work with and collaborate with individuals at all levels of the organization.
Coach. To be an effective leader, it is important to identify the strengths and weaknesses in others and help each team member achieve goals that are best suited to their skill sets. When staff accomplish goals it is important to celebrate! Celebrating success, no matter how small, will boost morale all around.
Adaptable. Change is the one constant in the medical profession. Sometimes it feels like the industry is evolving by the minute, and keeping up can be challenging. Good leaders strive to be flexible and embrace innovation—and they work to set a positive example for their team.
It’s important to recognize these leadership traits are not necessarily innate. While some people are so-called born leaders, it’s possible to grow leadership skills throughout one’s career. To become a more effective medical leader, honing these qualities is a great place to start.