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INNOVATIONS IN
of management can create pressure and stress. Even physicians who
already have some experience serving as a clinical department chair
or director of a clinical area often find themselves severely lacking in
terms of basic management and financial competencies. An MHA
from the right program can help those clinicians gain a more com-
prehensive understanding of the wider healthcare system, while gain-
ing crucial skills in strategic thinking, accounting, economics and
organizational behavior. Each physician comes in with a deep knowl-
edge of their specific area, or tree, but an MHA allows them to grasp
the whole system and be able to see the entire forest.
Participate in a Physician Leadership Program
(if possible)
Many progressive health systems today are offering in-house lead-
ership development programs or contracting with external consulting
companies. In the past, many of these programs consisted of “periodic
seminars, intermittent speakers and lightweight instructions” (AAPL,
2015) with only a modest effect on performance (Straus, 2013). How-
ever, recent programs are starting to focus more and more on action-
learning through problem-solving and special projects within the
organization (Duberman et al, 2015). Most new physician leaders do
not have a deliberate leadership style, other than the autocratic style
of “my way or the highway” (Lee, 2010; Winters, 2013; Minor, 2017).
A report comparing physician and business executives concluded that
physicians’ leadership style included behaving like a subject matter
expert and not engaging in consulting others, while their thinking
style was action-oriented with a strong desire to move towards solu-
tions quickly. Business executives, on the other hand, are more flexible staff (36%) (Parker-Wilkins, 2006). Moreover, the effects of coaching
and explore different options before acting (Campbell, 2007). So if
your organization offers a leadership program, make sure that you are
considered for participation. Not only will you gain valuable leader-
ship skills, but you will also get the opportunity to meet many of the
current and up-and-coming leaders in your organization, which will
significantly facilitate your transition.
Work with an Executive Coach
In the old days, executive coaches were hired by health systems to
work exclusively with so-called “problem physicians” who engaged
in disruptive and abusive behaviors. While these rescue missions are
still necessary in some situations, most executive coaching today is
done to help physicians maximize their leadership potential by gain-
ing a better understanding of themselves and improving their man-
agement of others. When I work with physician leaders in transition,
one of the first things that I do is have them take a personality as-
sessment such as the Birkman Method and an emotional intelligence
test such as the EQi 2.0. For most of them, that is the first opportu-
MEDICAL PRACTICE
nity in their career to take the time to better understand themselves
and their own leadership style.
Dr. Eric Appelgren, anesthesiologist and Vice-President of Oper-
ations and Clinical Services at St. Anthony's Medical Center in St
Louis, asked his organization to hire an executive coach for him when
he transitioned into his new position. “The Executive Coach helped
me work through some important things that I was going through,”
he explains. “For example, as a physician, you are used to getting in-
stant feedback every single day from patients, family members and
nurses. In management, that daily feedback or affirmation goes away.
You don’t get anything for weeks or months- it is huge. I didn’t see
that coming and it was frustrating. Some will back off from admin-
istration because of that. For me, it was shaking the patients’ and
their family members’ hands before and after surgery. I had 20 years
of training that allowed me to take care of them and make them feel
better. They thanked me all the time. It becomes like a drug, you get
addicted to that feeling. The coach helped me recognize that feeling
and work on ways on which I can get gratification in my leadership
position” (Appelgren, 2017). In addition to discussing feelings and
taking steps to deal with them, it is well documented that coaching
can result in measurable improvement in behaviors and outcomes.
In one study, 96% of organizations reported to have seen individual
performance improve since coaching was introduced, and 92% re-
ported seeing improvements in leadership and management effec-
tiveness (Coaching Counts, 2007). In another study, coaching
contributed to the development of important competencies such as
leadership behavior (82%), building teams (41%), and developing
are far-reaching: it can impact individual skills and behavior, team
performance, and organizational outcomes. About 77% of coached
executives indicate that coaching had a significant or very significant
impact on at least one of nine business measures, with productivity
(60% favorable) and employee satisfaction (53%) topping the list
(Anderson, 2001).
The importance of smooth physician transition into leadership po-
sitions in healthcare cannot be overstated (Goodall, 2011). Physician
executives who are serious about their intention to change the system
from the inside can benefit from formal management education,
leadership development and executive coaching.
Amer Kaissi is Professor and Director of the Executive Master’s
Program in Healthcare Administration at Trinity University. He is a
Certified Physician and Executive Coach and is the author of the
book “Intangibles: The Unexpected Traits of High-Performing
Healthcare Leaders” (Health Administration Press, August 2017).
The Executive Master’s Program at Trinity is ranked in the Top 10
programs nationally. The part-time, hybrid-learning format is de-
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