Clinical Leadership

Why are family doctors talking

about leadership?

• As family doctors we are all leaders

• We are often asked to act as leaders

• We often need to take a leadership role for

the sake of the health care of our

communities

• We need the skills to be effective leaders

Write down the name of a leader

who inspires you

and one characteristic of that leader

that you admire

• “Only those who do not seek power, are

qualified to hold it.”

– Plato

• Judgement comes from experience, and

experience comes from bad judgement.

– Simon Bolivar

• “Honest differences are often a healthy

sign of progress.”

– Gandhi

• “It is better to lead from behind and to put

others in front, especially when you

celebrate victory when nice things occur.

You take the front line when there is

danger. Then people will appreciate your

leadership.”

• “What is success? I think it is a mixture of

having a flair for the thing that you are

doing; …

• “and knowing that it is not enough, that we

have got to have hard work and a certain

sense of purpose.”

• “Leadership is mostly a skill that people learn … leaders learn from leaders

they’ve never met – by reading about

them.”

– Rudolph Giuliani

– Author of “Leadership”

“Change will not come if we wait for some

other person or some other time. We are the

ones we've been waiting for. We are the

change that we seek.”

“With great power comes great

responsibility””””

“With great power comes great

responsibility””””

Spiderman

Trivial Pursuit – Medical Leader

Leadership principles:

• Always be constructive and courteous

• Deflect praise to others

• Shoulder criticism

• Stand up for principle, even in the face of defeat

• Do not countenance gossip

• Criticise issues and attitudes, rather than individuals

• If do criticise individuals, balance with any possible

commendations

• Meet potential adversaries afterwards and in private

Trivial Pursuit – Medical Leader

Leadership principles:

• Always be constructive and courteous

• Deflect praise to others

• Shoulder criticism

• Stand up for principle, even in the face of defeat

• Do not countenance gossip

• Criticise issues and attitudes, rather than individuals

• If do criticise individuals, balance with any possible

commendations

• Meet potential adversaries afterwards and in private

• Sir William Osler

Sir William Osler

“Have no higher ambition than to

become an all-round family doctor,

whose business in life is to know

disease and to know how to treat it….”

Some of my leadership principles

• Give leadership a go

• Value your mentors

• Always say “yes and” when someone asks you to do something

• Articulate your vision – “6 point plan”

• Be visible

• Manage risk

• Stand up to bullies

• Preparation, preparation, preparation

• Don’t stop learning and don’t become arrogant

“The Seven Habits of Highly

Effective People” (Stephen Covey)

1. Be proactive: personal vision

2. Begin with the End in Mind: personal leadership

3. Put First Things First: personal management

4. Think win/win: interpersonal leadership

5. Seek first to understand

6. Synergise principles of creative communication

7. Sharpen the saw: balanced self-renewal

8. The 8th Habit : From effectiveness to greatness

“"Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs."

Leadership preparation

• Have a clear vision for what you wish to achieve

• How do you want to be remembered?

• Clear understanding of roles and responsibilities

• What is expected of you?

• Understand the time and energy commitment

• Listen and learn

• Clear plan of action – with strategies and tactics

• Communication

• Nurture your supports

• Time for yourself

How do you learn to become a

leader?

• First hand experience

• Read about other leaders

• Research the skills and techniques needed

• Then implement them yourself

• Mentoring with an accomplished leader

• Learn from poor leaders

How do you learn to become a

leader?

• Empower people – go for it!

• Role model ideal principles and behaviours

• Head and heart

• Make intelligent forthright decisions which

are tempered by empathy and compassion

• And gut

• Support other leaders and those who seek to

lead

What skills do you need?

• How to communicate your messages

effectively to your members

• How to motivate and focus your team

• How to run effective meetings

• How to listen actively

• Thank those who make a contribution

3 quick questions when making a

decision

• Is this in the best interests of my

organisation?

• Is this in the best interests of our members?

• Is this in the best interests of our discipline?

• Not “is this in my best interests”

New leadership role

• Top 5 list

• What are your 5 top priorities in this role?

• What do you have to do to make each of

these happen?

Public speaking

• How does it make you feel?

• Great leaders are great public speakers

• Get some training

• Practice as much as you can

• When you speak, you are the expert

Top 10 tips

1. Know your room

2. Know your audience

3. Know your material

4. Relax

5. Visualise yourself giving the speech –

practice

Top 10 tips

6. Realise people want you to succeed

7. Don’t apologise

8. Concentrate on the message, not the medium

9.Turn nervousness into positive energy

10. Gain experience

Source: www.toastmasters.org

Strategies for Media Advocacy

• No cold calls

• What is the background to the issue?

• Please fax or email me the details

• When is your deadline?

• Commitment to call back within agreed time frame

• Strategy to hang up

• Prepare your response

• 3 messages I want to get across

• 3 things I will not say

• Practise – talk out loud, call a friend

• Call back within time frame

• Beware of the beat up – media can seek conflict

Your own leadership style

• E – Effective

• D – Do More

• I – Improve

Your tips Dr Sun Yat-Sen

“If you believe in

yourself, you can

move mountains and

fill in the ocean: no

matter how difficult

the task, you will see

the day when you

succeed.”