I recently found an article on Forbes stating that 40% of new leaders fail within their first 18 months. ๐ฏ
It is not necessarily their fault, though.
Often, we assume that individuals naturally possess leadership skills and promote them to leadership positions based on their seniority or performance without providing them with opportunities to develop their leadership skills.
Good clinicians have excellent technical skills. They can utilize their critical thinking skills to help a patient find a treatment that works for them. But, a whole new set of skills is needed to be a leader, and those aren't skills people are just born with or learn as part of their schooling (as evidenced by the high leader failure rate).
To be successful, leaders need to have and develop the following skills:
๐ Accountability; not just for their work but also for others
๐ฃ Effective communication; being able to motivate others and inspire them
๐ฅ Managing People: putting together a strong team and managing their behaviors, conflicts, and performance.
๐ก Strategic Thinking; creating a vision, communicating it to the team, setting realistic goals, and influencing outcomes.
Health centers should prioritize leadership training for clinicians as a crucial part of their development plan. This training should cover key competencies, provide strategies for applying them, and offer ongoing support through a community of peers and clinical leaders.
โจ Be a health center that invests in its leaders' professional growth and development.
I created my Clinician Leadership Academy specifically for clinical leaders at FQHCs, because in my time as CEO of an FQHC I saw first-hand how quickly they can get burnt out in their leadership roles because they don’t have the proper tools. This leadership academy not only teaches them all the skills listed above (and more), it also connects them with other FQHC clinical leaders across the country who can offer them support, encouragement and a peer learning environment. Doors will open again soon for the Clinician Leadership Academy, so get on the waitlist!
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