The Wisdom of Discernment for Healthcare Executives: Choosing your professional circle to achieve Psychological Safety

The professional circle for many healthcare executives is a sacred place, a sanctuary of trust, and a tabernacle of multi-disciplinary relationships. When you build your administrative cabinets, evaluate potential board members, select physicians and practitioners for critical roles, choose your front-line leaders, develop your teams, and expand your network of knowledge, it is necessary to have a keen power of perception. This sixth sense helps seek out mentors/mentees, make professional virtual connections on social media platforms, and guide interaction with peer colleagues.?

There are some critical roles of individuals you want surrounding you, others you should steer clear from, and those you offer a window seat for erudition.

The ENTHUSIAST is the person who can rally the troops like no other, having the distinct ability to energize the team/group/or anyone in their presence. A professional cheerleader whom you can count on to secure team buy-in. This individual has drunk the proverbial Kool-Aid, mastering the art of maintaining momentum, is the hype man/woman who has the most sideline spirit, and you walk away from this person feeling like you can conquer a pandemic overnight.??

The TRUTHSAYER is the person at every meeting, whom you can always count on to say what everyone is thinking, but too afraid to articulate out loud. If the strategy in discussion is right, wrong, indifferent, or plain half-witted, you can guarantee this individual will be the one to point it out. We all know the version of this person that blurts out their thoughts across the conference room table, lacking any professional tact and usually one comment away from being asked to leave the room. Some understand the science of timing and placement and possess the skill of palatable delivery.

The INFLUENCER is the person who has the most significant effect on people, a high degree of emotional intelligence, and your brand ambassador. If reciting their ABCs, the audience will be hanging on with bated breath to hear what they will say or do next. The intrigue is often a psychological intuitiveness that allows this individual to tap into the human psychosocial dynamic or a subject matter expertise that exudes credibility. This professional has the "IT" factor, can attract a following, sway a decision, get the votes, and is typically an agent of change.

The BULLDOZER is the person that by any means necessary, will get your metric, meet the goal, and accomplish the task at hand. This individual will waste no time, wants to get right down to the heart of the matter, and close the deal.?They will not engage in small talk, avoid the fluff, and remove any barrier that prevents them from crossing the finish line.

The WINDBLOWER is the person who follows the beaten path of wherever they see the self-motivated benefit of acceptance. To maintain competitive advantage, this individual will scan the room, side with the person who has the most significant amount of influence, good or bad, and flip-flop opinions. Your colleagues may refer to this professional as the brown noser with whom no one wants to pledge allegiance. This professional will sell their soul, first-born, maybe even a kidney, but incapable of staying the course.

The TEASPILLER is the person who can't hold sensitive information; as soon a confidential meeting is adjourned, or they become privy to information hot off the press, you can bet your next paycheck the leadership plan is trickling from their mouth to the following person's ears. Then the story goes through several iterations of retelling, and confusion is amidst your campgrounds.

The ACADEMIC is the person who is a theoretical philosopher who at every turn will dive into a full-on lecture, give you an evidence-based study to substantiate an opinion, and might be using your feedback as part of a control group test, sample, or experiment as you are engaging. This professional will provide statistics, quotes, and hypotheses for almost everything.

The MASTERFUL MANIPULATOR is the person who will twist the narrative at your expense; this individual is your storyteller (literally), having a unique talent to present your best interest outwardly but using your vulnerability to create a very different perception of untruth to others. Their cunning deception typically derives from a need to control the environment. This professional is the epitome of throwing the rock and hiding their hand, taking Machiavellianism to the next level.

A Chinese Proverb speaks to the cold temperature at the peak of the mountain top, suggesting that the further you climb in your career, your circle of trust diminishes, and professionals often assert that leadership and loneliness have a symbiotic relationship. Healthcare Executives are in a microcosm of an ongoing strategy, encapsulated by features of their much more extensive networks, and your professional village represents an assembly of characteristics.

First and foremost, you want individuals in your circle who represent you publicly and privately. The relationships between you and your circle of trust should be mutually beneficial. Some people seek to find mirror images of themselves, looking to find people of like minds, and if you aim to achieve the status quo, this might be the best route for you to take.

To achieve the best results, you must surround yourself with people who share your passion but offer different perspectives. You want someone who understands your journey, with which you can be transparent, but knows your triggers and wraps their strengths around your vulnerabilities (yes, we all have them).

Healthcare Executives need that person who can express when they should have handled something differently in leadership or life. Your professional circle should encourage you to be your best self, maintain your confidence, protect your image, celebrate your wins, but dare to tell you when wrong. Your circle should be self-aware, open to objectivity, and take your success and failure personally.

The panorama of the future state of healthcare is complex, but leaders need people in their professional spaces who are both transactional and transformational, who are honest and create spaces for psychological safety.????