Boost your leadership skills

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We asked prominent doctors across the country for their suggestions on how to be a physician leader. Here are their thoughts:

Dr. Barry McLellan, president & CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto: “Physicians frequently do not follow a ‘traditional’ path to the most senior health-care positions, including that of a hospital CEO. As a result, when advising physicians (and even medical students) who have expressed an interest in health-care leadership, I encourage taking leadership opportunities as they arise—even if the position does not appear ‘perfect’—as one leadership position will often lead to another more senior opportunity, and then to another. It is often necessary to take some calculated risks along the way, but this provides an opportunity to demonstrate one’s leadership skills and style.”

Dr. Jennifer Hall, president, College of Family Physicians of Canada: “The best advice I ever received as I took a new leadership position was: ‘For the first three months of a long-term appointment, listen to those around you. For the next three months, form your thoughts, consult, and test your ideas. Only when this is completed do you make significant changes.’ Knowing the context of the team or organization that you are leading and understanding how it functions are critical to moving forward.”

Dr. David Milne, president, Doctors Nova Scotia: “I recommend every leader read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD). This diary of his personal writings balances leadership, service and altruism. To whet the appetite, here are few of his quotes: ‘Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.’ ‘You have the power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.’ I’d also recommend leaders stay curious and commit to being life-long learners. Never be afraid to challenge the conventional.”

Dr. Vivien Brown, president, Federation of Medical Women of Canada:
“Learn to say no. When you say no to something, some task or additional work, you are actually choosing to say yes to something else. Whether family time, other projects, other opportunities. And rather than say ‘maybe’ or ‘I’ll try,’ it is much more helpful to say no clearly, not this time, this doesn’t work for me. So that when you say yes, you can accept that yes, wholeheartedly, and do a fabulous job. As women want to please, and be co-operative, it is really important to know when to say yes and when to say no.”

Dr. Graham Sher, CEO, Canadian Blood Services: “As physicians, we are trained in managing both complexity and ambiguity when working with patients in reaching diagnoses and charting appropriate care plans. The de--cisions we make with and for our patients can, and often do, have critical implications. Leadership entails being comfortable with ambiguity and complexity, and having the courage to make decisions in the face of uncertainty. It also requires personal and shared accountability for those decisions. When done most effectively, leadership—of people, organizations or systems—draws on many of the skills we have acquired as physicians. The other essential ingredient underpinning successful leadership is empathy. It is not sur-prising then that physicians are well placed to be leaders, and do so by leveraging skills that serve us well in our clinical lives.”

Dr. Leisha Hawker, family physician and aboriginal health advocate in Halifax: “It is important to listen more than you speak and to treat others the way you would like to be treated. Whenever possible, surround yourself with passionate and hardworking people.”

Dr. David Cram, president, Doctors Manitoba: “I feel the best physician leaders are the ones who care deeply and are passionate about what they do. This type of energy helps them attract a highly skilled team. A good leader will then foster and utilize the unique talents of the team around him/her and regularly seek feedback as a means of always trying to improve.”

Dr. Charles Webb, president, Doctors of BC: “We, as physician leaders, must go beyond focusing on our specialties and areas of practice. We need to work together as a whole to build a profession of influence, to enable us to be successful advocates for our patients and their families. We must also remain clinically grounded—never losing sight of colleagues who are working with patients every single day.”

Dr. Susan Shaw, chair, Saskatchewan Health Quality Council: “We are seeing a big shift in our understanding of how leadership is actually a team sport. You will be a much more effective and influential physician leader if you can develop good relationships not only with your physician colleagues, but also with your clinic/hospital/operational leaders. If you can do this well, you will gain valuable insight, influence and assistance. Your work will also become much more satisfying.”

Dr. Marla Shapiro, medical consultant for CTV National News and Canada AM: “Leadership is about listening more than anything else, and knowing what is important. The process of divergent thinking that becomes convergent allows us as leaders, mentors and colleagues to share the burden in difficult times and respond with understanding. My greatest lessons have all been learning not to be fearful, and challenging myself to be aware of my own bias. Leadership has taught me the difference between action and reaction and is a life of constant learning.”

Dr. David Naylor, former president of the University of Toronto and chair of the federal Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation: “Ask yourself why you’re drawn to any leadership position. Be cautious about chasing a title or pay-raise or, worst of all, stepping up because it’s the next rung on your career ladder. Put your hat in the ring only when you’re genuinely excited by the opportunity to support people and causes you care about.”

Dr. Jeff Turnbull, chief of staff at the Ottawa Hospital: “Always begin from a place of shared values that you fundamentally believe in. Then, ‘Say  what you mean and mean what you say.’ ”

Dr. Danielle Martin, VP of medical affairs and health system solutions at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto: “I have found the most impressive physician leaders use their clinical skills in the boardroom: they listen more than they talk, they ask questions instead of making statements, they try to understand the agendas and needs of others, and they make suggestions that are ambitious but realistic. Doctors have these skills already but we sometimes forget to use them outside of patient care.”

Organizational hacks

? “Practise selective procrastination. Many administrative tasks are deadly dull. Bundle them together and clear them away in one brainless stint, ideally with good music playing to avoid total boredom.”—Dr. David Naylor, former president of the University of Toronto and chair of the federal Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation
? “Learn how and when to say no. Here’s how I figure out if I can say yes: If I’m asked to take on an additional piece of work such as teaching a class, making a presentation or joining a working group way off in the future, I first figure out if I want to say yes, and why. Then, I think about whether I have time to fit it into the next two weeks of my life. If yes, then I go for it. If it would be hard to fit into the next two weeks, then it will be hard to fit into my life no matter how far off in the future the piece of work might seem.”—Dr. Susan Shaw, chair, Saskatchewan Health Quality Council
? “I have found it useful to differentiate between ‘just do it’ work and work that requires reflective and creative thinking. When facing challenges or opportunities that require creative thinking, I find it helpful to reserve time for such work when I tend to feel most creative. For me
that is early morning and late evening. Some of my most creative and innovative thinking occurs during my morning  shower!”—Dr. Dennis Kendel,
CEO at Physician Recruitment Agency of Saskatchewan
? “I work at a community health centre, two methadone clinics and a refugee clinic so I use my phone to set reminders so I don’t miss any shifts or meetings. I started using Evernote to keep notes from meetings and conferences and it works great. Now my notes are always organized and easily accessible. I also use a password keeper on my phone to store login info for e-resources like UpToDate, RxTx, etc.”—Dr. Leisha Hawker, family physician and aboriginal health advocate in Halifax