Physician Leadership — Always Being Watched

Several years ago, I was hosting an annual physician thought-leadership meeting, during which two intriguing and especially important moments occurred for me, both in relation to the honorary fellows being celebrated that year.

Dr. David Shulkin (then-U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs) spoke at a luncheon. His remarks on the Department of Veterans Affairs were poignant and insightful for the audience. I was also impressed when I saw how many attendees stood up when he called upon them to demonstrate the presence of veterans who had served within our community.

After Shulkin’s remarks, while he informally interacted with the audience offstage, I spent a few minutes chatting with a member of his security detail. Turns out this gentleman was a longtime member of the federal security services and was married to a physician. He went on to describe his wife’s clinical activity, but he also described how they both were feeling the pressures of current medical practice and its impact on their personal lives.

His story about the personal impact on an entire family was not too different from the stories many of us have. The conversation was an important reminder to me about how you never know who or when someone is paying attention to your work and the importance of physician leadership in society.

Dr. Ram Raju (then-senior vice president and community health investment officer at Northwell Health) spoke during a reception later that day. His comments were equally profound and concerned the critical importance of why our industry must better serve society’s vulnerable populations. He clearly articulated the vital significance of why doing this well not only improves the lives of those affected but also improves how the institutions providing services and the financial payers all benefit with significantly better outcomes.

After the reception, a lead staff member of the venue approached me, stretching out his hand and thanking me for having witnessed Raju’s address. The gentleman was almost in tears as he briefly explained how his family (and so many on his staff) struggled desperately with healthcare coverage, let alone how to live healthier lifestyles. Still, among all the meetings he witnesses, he recognized the special nature and tone of ours — especially the focus on physician leadership and the efforts to improve the overall well-being of the industry.

Once more, I was reminded of the indirect influence physicians create when others are watching, and that we might not be aware of how our behaviors or actions are being absorbed. As physicians, we carry an important responsibility — always.

So, yes, we are always being watched at some level. At a minimum, our family and friends have been watching us since our early student days when it became evident to them that medicine was a career path. The hope, the envy, the admiration were all present in some fashion. As careers progress, the circumference of who is watching gradually expands – peer trainees, nurses, faculty, and others in the clinical arena. Then one’s practice begins to get established and your credibility as a physician is monitored by patients, patient families, and office or hospital staff. Before you know it, a professional reputation has been established and impressions of your professional skill sets will become engrained in your community. Then it all keeps growing with escalating opportunities for broader community engagement in an assortment of ways.

And yet, others are always watching. This is the nature of being a physician. It therefore is also an opportunity to emulate the traits of being a leader in the community. You do not need formal titled roles and a load of administrative responsibility to be recognized as a leader. Our natural traits of altruism, commitment to others, and a desire to help create positive change on many levels are the attributes of leadership that will be recognized by others as they continue to watch.

The physician’s position is an honor and a privilege to hold. Thus, be ever mindful that losing the confidence and trust of this audience is exceedingly tough to reverse.

Excerpted from Inspiring Growth and Leadership in Medical Careers: Transform Healthcare as a Physician Leader by Peter B. Angood, MD.