Be an innovation mercenary
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
President and CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, another lousy golfer, terrible cook, friction fixer
Mercenaries are soldiers who are paid to kill people.. Physician innovation mercenaries are typically employed doctors with an entrepreneurial mindset, physician intrapreneurs, who should be hired or engaged to kill innovation ideas. Unfortunately, most outside people don't see it that way. Outside entrepreneurs often just want champions to use their networks, credibility and influence to get a client's product or service in front of the right decision makers.
Here are some ways to find inside champions.
Often, outside entrepreneurs have a hard time finding and hiring inside champions to help them develop, market and sell their ideas to high value targets, like integrated delivery networks. If an outside person approaches you asking for your help as an inside person, clinical champion or key opinion leader (KOL), here are some questions you should ask them before putting on the uniform:
- What is your next critical success factor?
- Why do you think I can help you achieve it?
- What are your expectations about deliverables and timelines?
- Which one of the 7Ms are you hiring me to do? money, marketing, making something, management, manpower and monitoring the environment?
- What is your value proposition and is it a good fit for me?
- How will you help me address the conflict of serving two masters-your project and the relentless focus on the now, not the next and new, in my organization?
- Do you expect me to "wear your sneakers" as an advocate for your product or service and what would be the ethical, conflict of interest and personal integrity issues if I did?
- How do you intend to compensate me for my efforts and would I have to comply with organizational rules and regulations to accept payment?
- Do you really want me to help kill your idea or just do what you want?
- Given the above, do the tangible and intangible benefits of my involvement outweigh the tangible and intangible costs?
I'll spare you the boot camp. Here's how to kill an idea in four weeks.
Champions in provider organizations should incorporate euthanators into their entrepreneurial mindset and challenge developers to answer one more question i.e. what evidence of patient/physician defined value have you produced that justifies the conclusion that your idea should idea ever see the light of day.
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs