The guts to dance is key for physician entrepreneurs!

Why physicians entrepreneurs need a new “How” to execute on their “Why”

In the previous weeks, I have touched upon some key areas for physician entrepreneurs:

1.????The unique aspects of the physician and entrepreneurial mindset.?

2.????Why we should be thankful for the physician entrepreneur.

3.????The value of partners and partnerships for entrepreneurs.?

4.????How the “Why” of being a physician is so important.

The next step is where most physician entrepreneurs and those seeking to improve healthcare get stuck.??How do we successfully change care, outcomes, culture etc….??????

As a serial change agent and innovator in healthcare, the “how” is truly the hardest especially for physicians.????If you have the right mindset, the right mission, great partners and supportive colleagues you ?will also have to consider “how” you can be successful as a physician entrepreneur.??????

The first step is the recognition that what made or makes you successful as a physician leader will not be how you can be successful as an entrepreneur.??I will say that again, what got you here absolutely will not get you there!?I believe physicians need leadership training.?

Physicians are ingrained in a culture of hierarchy and top-down leadership from the time they enter medical school.??A physician’s ability to lead is most often directly related to title and status as a resident, fellow, attending on and on.??Physicians are de-facto leaders in healthcare and receive very little to no training in how to lead.??Instead, physicians write orders and expect those beneath them to carry them out.??Physicians also expect or comply with orders of those who are their superiors whether it be an Attending, Chief of a department or hospital administrator.??Policies of the medical staff are not debated but rather expected to be carried out as written.??Physicians are “told” what to do and when to do it in the same way that they then hand down directives to those “under” them in the hierarchy.????Some work is being done on team building in healthcare, but this work is slow and challenging for physicians to embrace.?In the “healthcare team” concept, the physician is usually the leader.????Healthcare leadership is a hierarchy with an old-fashioned top-down approach.??

Unfortunately, most physicians only understand this approach to leadership.??Physician rarely understand or have been exposed to how to lead by influence, team building or fostering change.??Physicians more often look to our politicians, professional organizations and administrators to write better policy or give us better orders.??Physicians have become dependent on others to fix our healthcare problems.???Physicians are more comfortable in leading those on a lower level in the org chart.??We struggle to push for change in our interactions with peers and colleagues who are pushing for change.??While we wait for “advocacy” most of us are drowning in policy that becomes more disconnected from care itself and leads us into growing dissatisfaction.???I won’t delve into burnout, which is a book unto itself, but I do believe that physician’s inability to lead change is a leading cause for our issues with retention, mental health and our seeking “side gigs” rather than seeking to drive improvement in our own careers.??

??What physicians need to recognize is that “change” is rarely effective or lasting when it is a directive or a policy.??We may execute the order but without belief or understanding of the “why” these orders typically just become repetitive actions and tend to wane over time.???Obviously, as a physician entrepreneur you will need to lead differently and more effectively.???

As an innovator you will have to explore how to “influence” change.???Change will need to come from a completely different approach where you must now be able to influence others to share your vision, your idea and buy in to what you are suggesting.???You will not be able to write an order to develop, market or buy your product or service.???Instead, your ability to lead change will be based on how many customers you gain.???

If you have never seen the “Leadership Dancing Guy” this video is a great watch for all leaders and especially physician entrepreneurs.?Watch this video and ask yourself some key questions of how you can change your leadership style from one of hierarchy to a sphere of influence.?How crazy do you have to be to start a business and get your first customer???Leading by influence is much harder but far more rewarding and scalable than the top down approach physicians have become accustomed.?????

The business folks are way ahead of us in healthcare and think differently.?As an example, here are ideas that we physicians often don’t consider as we try to foster change within our patients, practices, hospitals or professional societies.?As entrepreneurs these are key lessons and one’s we can discuss in future newsletters. See my comments below from the excerpts I have pulled from Forbes??“How to create change when you’re not in charge.”

·??????Challenge your individual and collective beliefs and assumptions. What is real and what is self-imposed? I typically work with clients who are struggling with a set of assumptions that are either completely self-imposed or that may have been true at some point but are no longer valid. Honestly examining the “reality” that you operate within and to be questioning what is and is not valid in the present context can help you gain an understanding of?how you may be limiting your own possibilities?without even knowing it.

Do you think physicians are powerless to change healthcare? Or that you are powerless to even change your own work environment??Have you learned or taught yourself that you are helpless????Are you burning out with directives from above??

·??????Identify what is within your span of control and your span of influence. Your sphere of control may be somewhat smaller than you’d like but it is important to consider what you can influence in your role. It’s surprising, when you actually sit down and think about it, how much each and every one of us can influence in the day-to-day.

Where can you start to exert your influence???Can you influence yourself, your colleagues or those whom you report to think or act differently??How are your actions impacting those around you positively or negatively??Are you waiting for others to act???

·??????Use tools to measure the “issues” and help others understand the impact on the business.?As a business leader, I feel like this is the?price of admission, but I’ve called it out explicitly anyway. In order to create change, especially when you’re not in charge, doing your homework is critical. Bringing valid data to the table to help you present your case will help others get on board.

What data do you have, or can you gather to make your case???Can you validate your claims of things which need to change??Do you offer ideas backed by evidence to influence what may be an approach that could positively impact the patient, the practice, or the culture?

·??????Seek out a sponsor.?Identifying someone who has a larger sphere of control and getting them to buy into your case can help open a lot of doors. Understand and respect that this sponsor may be putting a lot on the line to support you and they will likely want to make sure you’re case is water-tight before committing too much to it.

Another way to look at this approach is by seeking out those who are “above” you in the hierarchy.??Do they understand your concerns??Do they buy into your idea??Would they be willing to raise the question or better yet support you if you are to raise an idea????

·??????Learn to sell your ideas in “leader speak.”?Understanding your audience and articulating your ideas in ways that resonate with what they are concerned with is a surefire way to get noticed. Just because you think something is important doesn’t mean they will, so presenting it in the context of the business will help your ideas resonate.

If you are ready to lead, then you will be ready to be bold enough to express your thoughts and ideas.???As a leader, you need to not only lay out your ideas but gain the buy i of those around you.??Are you ready to have dialogue, disagreement and listen to the concerns or barriers needed to overcome??

·??????Recognize your hidden assets.?If change is a people thing then creating change is not constrained by position. Anyone can create change person by person if their ideas are sound and if they are able to convey them in a way that gets people on board. Understanding what assets and resources are available to you, both in yourself and in the network around you, can help you gain momentum.

Far too often, physicians hide within the hierarchy of medicine.??I have seen so much change that could happen if we could lean into sharing our ideas.?Great cultures empower everyone to share their ideas and learn.?Healthcare culture needs serious change as we all know.??The first step is the key.??Take even a small step into what you would like to see change.??Embrace a new way to lead. One that can inspire others to do the same.

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What can I do???Tell me what to do??How can I make a difference???These are common questions I hear from my colleagues. The first step to the “how” is recognizing you will need new leadership skills to be a successful physician entrepreneur.??You need to dance. Change is hard and being a “change agent” is even more difficult.??Physicians can and should learn how to lead to influence change.??Take the first step and ask yourself the questions above.??How can we better listen, learn and challenge each other and our colleagues to be better tomorrow than today?