Practicing Leadership
Communication,Trust, and Relationships
Over 10 months of hard work, twenty-four physicians had learned about leadership styles, negotiation strategies, organizational dynamics, change management,conflict resolution, and other useful topics.(What can physician leaders learn from Bill Belichick’s “Do Your Job” Philosophy?)The group all agreed, though, that the most important lesson was that leadership has little to do with knowledge or expertise. It is all about communication,trust, and relationships – and it’s hard. An experienced and thoughtful physician posed a question:“We are SO good at communicating with patients, quickly building trust, a connection, and a productive relationship –but why is it so hard to do the same with colleagues or with staff and executives when we are functioning as team members or leaders?”He acknowledged that learning these new skills had been uncomfortable, but critically important. I asked him:
“How uncomfortable were you, when you first had to start talking to patients?”
“How effective were you?
Was it hard?”
“How did you eventuallyget better at it?”
Hepaused, smiled and said “practice.” Medical students and residents are motivated to get better at communicating with patients because it’s the foundation of good care. They also have an immersive learning experience -forced to face their discomfort and improve their skills, day after day, for years.
They get better at it because they Practice
Physicians don’t leave residency as a finished product. A physician “practices” medicine,for an entire career, including sharpening the skill of communicating with patients.
Different Communication Skills
The communication skills you need as a leader are NOT the same as those you use with patients. The relationship dynamics are different.
The communication skills you need as a leader are NOT the same as those you use with patients. The relationship dynamics are different.
Disagreeing with a peer, motivating your staff, questioning an executive, providing feedback to a colleague, trying to convince your department to change a policy,or navigating a disagreement about the direction of your group – all require communication skills never covered in training, or practiced, by most physicians. Yet,we often throw physician into leadership roles and expect them to think strategically, build relationships, and communicate effectively.
Integrated Practice
You don’t take the “leadership course” and then you are an effective communicator. It doesn’t work that way. You need to the apply those skills – practicing,daily. Being uncomfortable, accepting that discomfort, and learning from it.It’slike the description by Marc Lesser in his book, Seven Practices of Mindful Leaders:There is “dedicated” practice – in Lesser’s example, meditation practice,itself- and there is “integrated” practice where you take what you learn during meditation and integrate it into everything you do – so that the work, itself,becomes practice!
[Y]ou need to take on the PRACTICE of leadership and the discomfort, and growth, that comes with it.
The same is true with leadership training (or any skill, for that matter).The training is dedicated practice but then you have to commit to integratedpractice. It’s the reason that we always combine training, with individualcoaching, and work on real issues. (BuildingYour Own Physician Leadership Program – Lessons Learned)
Doing the Work
If each participant can improve his or her self-awareness and learn about what they bring to each situation, then learn the communication skills in a group setting, and apply them to real issues- they can learn, through this“integrated practice.” Then they need to apply those skills and continue tolearn, daily. Yes – it takes work.Youget better as a clinician through the lifelong PRACTICE of medicine. Ifyou are motivated to be an effective leader – because you care about yourgroup, your colleagues and your organization, then you need to take on thePRACTICE of leadership and the discomfort, and growth, that comes with it.
