Leading a team of oncology clinicians to propel patient success stories is no small feat, especially in a reality where 35 percent of these professionals take on extra work due to demand.
Four oncology experts share what has been their secret to keeping themselves, and their teams motivated:
Ken Chaij. Executive Director of Oncology Service Line at Kettering (Ohio) Health:
Keep your team focused on your purpose and stretch — not only myself as a leader but my team — beyond what we think we're capable of doing. That involves taking on calculated risks. Be willing to tweak the plan down the road, but take that calculated risk and keep in line with our purpose as it evolves.
Chris Flowers, MD. Division Head Ad Interim of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): Be curious. That is one of the things that has really helped me throughout my career: I have been quite curious about things that we can do better in a number of situations. It helped us be able to innovate through the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of helping address some of the staffing challenges that many hospitals faced, as well as quickly being able to handle remote work and hybrid work environments. Curiosity has been a key component to what I've done in performing research that impacts patient outcomes. My advice in the educational arena is to focus on mentorship and stay curious about the goals your mentees have in pursuing their own career objectives. Curiosity really has been key to my success in a number of arenas.
Michael Postow, MD. Chief of Melanoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City): I think knowing that the leader is there for everyone else's success. You're really judged by the people around you that succeed, and trying to do everything you can for their success is, in my mind, the mark of the best leader.
William Tse, MD. Division Director of Hematology and Oncology at MetroHealth (Cleveland): Collaborate, be courageous, be a little dumb and have the gut to invest. It takes a lot of investment in time to build new areas, get regulatory paperwork and bring the technology in. Our courage to invest has put us five to eight years ahead of other hospitals as far as technology.