by Michael O'Brien, Ed.D
This Physician Leadership blog is designed to help you effectively navigate what could rightly be named a “perfect storm”: The intersection of a rapidly and dramatically changing healthcare industry together with the significant need for more high-performing physician leaders--all of which requires dramatic personal change. This information is based on my book Profit From Experience and O'Brien Group's work with the very top healthcare leaders in the U.S.
The problem is that personal change is not automatic and it is very hard to accomplish. What happens consistently is that people don’t notice when change is required. To actually learn something new from experience requires an intentional and disciplined effort: What do I change and how do I change it?
For you as a physician leader, the work of medicine could not be more different than the work of a senior leader. For example, to successfully move from prescribing and expecting compliance to leading, influencing and collaborating, you must be conscious of the differences and adjust -- read change-- their approach to a situation or a task at hand. (For more on what we call Physician Whiplash, please visit http://obriengroup.us/wp-content/uploads/Phys_Whiplash-1.8.12.pdf)
Why You Should Read About Physician Leadership Here.
This blog is offered as a systematic approach to help you go from good to great. To lead better and achieve more. It will help you to consciously change and improve your patterns of behavior and dramatically increase your personal effectiveness.
The methods I will offer you—which require small, daily effort—can help you inventory the areas of your life where change is most needed. The methods will then help you start producing the life and leadership results you’re looking for.
The approaches and exercises to be presented here, grew out of years of work I have done with senior leaders in organizations across many industries. For the most part, these organizations are run by people with more than enough education, intelligence, and expertise. But time and again I see physician leaders and senior executives do something irrational and inexplicable. On the one hand, they grasp new concepts of learning, growing, improving. Then they turn around and go back to their old ways, making decisions and interacting with others just as they always have, as if they’ve learned nothing and don’t need to change at all.
Concepts of profound personal and organizational renewal are easy to understand. Acting on them takes discipline, plus a personal commitment to learn, and go on learning, what our changing environment has to teach. The path to great Physician Leadership is a balance of concept and action—daily action, constant action. Action that will help you develop a discipline. Without the action, the concepts are interesting but not much else.
What follows are some ideas and exercises that will start you on an expedition to lead better and achieve more in your professional and personal life. It is designed to raise your consciousness of the things you need to change and the unique talents you can bring to bear to lead healthcare into the future.
The problem is that personal change is not automatic and it is very hard to accomplish. What happens consistently is that people don’t notice when change is required. To actually learn something new from experience requires an intentional and disciplined effort: What do I change and how do I change it?
For you as a physician leader, the work of medicine could not be more different than the work of a senior leader. For example, to successfully move from prescribing and expecting compliance to leading, influencing and collaborating, you must be conscious of the differences and adjust -- read change-- their approach to a situation or a task at hand. (For more on what we call Physician Whiplash, please visit http://obriengroup.us/wp-content/uploads/Phys_Whiplash-1.8.12.pdf)
Why You Should Read About Physician Leadership Here.
This blog is offered as a systematic approach to help you go from good to great. To lead better and achieve more. It will help you to consciously change and improve your patterns of behavior and dramatically increase your personal effectiveness.
The methods I will offer you—which require small, daily effort—can help you inventory the areas of your life where change is most needed. The methods will then help you start producing the life and leadership results you’re looking for.
The approaches and exercises to be presented here, grew out of years of work I have done with senior leaders in organizations across many industries. For the most part, these organizations are run by people with more than enough education, intelligence, and expertise. But time and again I see physician leaders and senior executives do something irrational and inexplicable. On the one hand, they grasp new concepts of learning, growing, improving. Then they turn around and go back to their old ways, making decisions and interacting with others just as they always have, as if they’ve learned nothing and don’t need to change at all.
Concepts of profound personal and organizational renewal are easy to understand. Acting on them takes discipline, plus a personal commitment to learn, and go on learning, what our changing environment has to teach. The path to great Physician Leadership is a balance of concept and action—daily action, constant action. Action that will help you develop a discipline. Without the action, the concepts are interesting but not much else.