There's palpable frustration among many department chairs, chief medical officers, medical directors and chiefs of staff. Compared to the several years they spent in medical school and clinical practice, many physician executives may feel underqualified to lead, according to a blog post from Harvard Business Review.
Physician executive coach Richard Winters, MD, penned the post. He shared four of the biggest challenges he sees for physician executives, along with the remedies he believes work best.
1. Physicians are overwhelmed by "organizational noise." Dr. Winters defined this term as the clashing goals and demands physicians face, such as transitioning toward value-based and patient-centered care while also feeling pressure to deliver revenue. These demands are only mounted upon physicians' existing clinical responsibilities. As a result, physicians may feel irritable and as if they are only putting out fires rather than making strategic decisions.
Solution: Dr. Winters recommended leaders make simple changes that might make a big difference. He encouraged physicians to regain control of their schedules by prioritizing time for strategic thinking and blocking off time for exercise and family events. This can renew leaders' sense of self-efficacy, he wrote.
2. Physicians feel like outsiders. Physician executives can face divided attitudes from their peers. Other clinicians may view physician executives as "suits" and be wary of them, wrote Dr. Winters. On the other hand, other executives may see physician executives primarily as clinicians. It can be difficult to advocate the interests of both sides.
Dr. Winters said he knows a medical director of an accountable care organization who once agitated a large group of oncologists by saying they should cut back on prescriptions for an expensive medication. "It was one of many edicts she had issued, and they took offense, openly discussing the difficulties of working with her versus the friendliness of a local competitor," he wrote.
Solution: Ask more questions. To better understand physicians' clinical perspectives, it's important for leaders to ask open-ended questions and use a collegial rather than authoritative tone. Role-playing can help leaders develop these skills and have effective conversations with physicians without being perceived as "suits."
3. Physicians feel stuck in transition. The skill sets valued at a patient's bedside and within the C-suite do not instantly mesh. Physicians' eye for detail and control — great traits in the operating room, for instance — may ruffle some feathers in strategic discussions or professional relationships.
Solution: Build complementary teams. Help physician executives identify their strengths as leaders, and build teams that are designed to improve their weaknesses, said Dr. Winters. Subjective, visionary thinkers should be paired with objective, detail-oriented leaders, for example.
4. Physicians feel trapped in a "time warp." Clinical time moves quickly. Physicians see several patients each day, and procedures begin and end within hours. "But in 'business time,' it can take months to solve a problem," wrote Dr. Winters. "Rarely does someone simply decide on a fix and make it happen."
Solution: Break large goals into smaller, more manageable ones. Reframing large goals into several smaller ones can help leaders feel like each completed task is a "small win."
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