As we work with our clients or interact with an audience after our large audience presentations, we – the three partners in Royer-Maddox-Herron Advisors –are often asked the question:…."Is it worth it being a leader in the healthcare industry today?" Fortunately based on our own nearly 120 years of collective experience, we are able to answer the question with a strong and resounding: “Yes”. Why are we so positive, recognizing that many leaders today, including physicians, are facing burn-out and making the decision to retire early?
Perhaps the most important reason is our firm belief that the competencies you must develop to be a successful member of a strong leadership team are transferable from your professional life to you personal life. These competencies include altruism, ambition, adaptability, motivation, empathy, integrity, and decisiveness. Undergirded by intelligence and wisdom, a strong willingness to listen, and a clear understanding of the need to negotiate and compromise, these professional leadership competencies clearly also make us a better person, spouse, parent, friend, partner, or neighbor. There is a strong probability that as you grow as a leader, you are also growing as a person. The success that ensues on both fronts obviously makes all the effort worthwhile.
Of all the critical success factors for a leader, we believe “being authentic” tops the list. A critical question every leader must ask frequently is: “Why would anyone want to follow me?” We all know you cannot be a leader without followers. And to follow, colleagues must be assured that their leader is driven by integrity, honesty, transparency, and, at all times, “walks the talk”. A great leader is never tempted to lose his or her moral compass. These are the same traits that will cause a spouse to be supportive, a child to follow your directions, and neighbors to seek out and depend on your advice and knowledge.
We all know that these are extremely challenging times in healthcare and these times contribute to much leadership dissatisfaction from – excessive governmental intervention, reduced autonomy, uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act, and increasing symptoms of burn-out due to time pressure and the seeming inability to keep up with the pace and quantity of work.
With all this said, we still believe that healthcare provides one of the most satisfying and meaningful work environments and has a better job security than many professions. But most importantly, we believe a proper balance between one’s professional and personal life can be achieved, where both are successful because the skills required for the one supports the other! To learn more about our thoughts on this important subject, as well as, to explore topics in our other blogs, please contact us at your convenience.