It may not be easy, but it changes lives: Reframing myths of healthcare leadership
As a healthcare executive and leadership coach, I have been meeting with a veteran cardiologist recently promoted to an executive leadership position. He has been struggling with the transition and looking for support.
“It's not like a STEMI,” he will say. “Everything I do in the cath lab has a beginning, middle and end. I save the patient.”
He sighs. I can tell he is reaching for the right words. “I'm just not good at this. I am ill equipped. All this politicking and aligning and influencing. It's messy.”
He wants simple answers. Or a three-step plan to follow. But that's not what a coach does, and he knows it.
"Is this job what you thought it would be?" I ask. He brings his hands to his face. “Gosh, that's such a good question. I honestly didn't know what it was going to be. I didn't know what to expect. I just wanted to keep growing and learning. I wanted to be challenged but it's so ambiguous. All of it. The problem and the solutions. It's not clear-cut.”
He’s right. It’s not clear-cut. And we need more people like this cardiologist. We need more doctors who grapple with the shift from patient care to administrative leadership and the administrators and coaches who support them.
I have had countless conversations just like this one. So often, talented clinicians find themselves in leadership positions and quickly discover they do not have the skills for the role. We do our clinical leaders a disservice when we don’t take the time to equip them to lead in the boardroom just as we would at the bedside.
These are three common myths physicians believe about leadership and how to reframe them:
Myth No. 1: I need an MBA
How to reframe it: Prioritize leadership training
There is a place for advanced degrees ,but they should not be a substitute for the intentional development of leadership skills. Also, they are not necessary for every physician leader.
A few years ago, I was at a conference when I overheard a midcareer interventional cardiologist speaking with a tenured physician executive about leadership. His question was, “how you do know when it is time to go into leadership?”
After a few minutes of them going back and forth about the cardiologist's experience and goals, I shared my own perspective.
“I work with physician leaders, and I think there is an important question to consider,” I said. “How do you feel about gaining influence, developing a team or having hard conversations?”
He made a low chuckle and cut his eyes at me. “That is for human resources,” he said. “I don’t care about those things.”
At this, the tenured executive turned to him and told him he wasn’t ready for leadership. “You should stay in the cath lab,” she added.
I can teach almost anyone how to read a spreadsheet or understand operational metrics. What is more difficult to learn is how to lead. You don’t need another degree; you need intentional leadership training and experience.
Myth No. 2: I know everything I need to about leadership
How to reframe it: Practice leadership
It takes humility and courage to be a student of leadership, and the journey is lifelong. It is challenging to go from a specialized physician and subject matter expert to a beginner.
So where do you start? You practice. Just like medical training. No one would expect a med student to show up on day one and do a cath and no one should expect our physician leaders to lead through situations they have not trained for and practiced.
Recently, I heard a chief clinical officer from a major university medical center say that they got into leadership through practice. He explained his journey volunteering for committees and leading small teams. This allowed him to practice his skills and gain confidence to take on larger and more complex projects.
Whether you are a tenured executive or right out of training, leadership is never complete. Leaders continued to evolve and bring their teams and their organizations with them.
Myth No. 3: I can fix my organization
How to reframe it: Grow your influence
“Our administration doesn’t support us.”
“I can’t get the resources I need”
“There is so much bureaucracy and waste. Why can’t they do better?”
Often physicians want to jump to fixing the organization. There is a pain point in their day-to-day practice and they are looking for a quick fix. We have complex systems that are heavily regulated and often thinly resourced. There are few things in healthcare that are easy or simple. When leaders jump to wanting to fix the organization, they miss the steps of self-awareness and team development.
As Steven Covey teaches in his circle of influence model, we all have a circle of control, circle of influence and circle of concern. The more we focus on concern, our influence shrinks. When we focus on what we can control, our influence grows.
Yes, there are problems in every organization and how we impact change is through influence. Influence that is rooted in self-awareness and a focus on what is in our control. Clients are often surprised by how much they can impact once they develop awareness of their own leadership style and start to focus on their circle of control.
A bit of advice
My best advice for aspiring physician leaders is to prioritize leadership training, practice leadership and grow your influence.
“It is rewarding,” that client said as we wrapped up our session in his office. “I do know that I am impacting more patients with the work that I am doing, more than I could ever see in my individual practice. I know it matters and it is worth it.”
Leadership is not easy, but it is worth doing. We need more physicians willing to make the leadership shift.
Corrin McCloskey, MPH, FACC, is a seasoned healthcare executive and certified coach with over 15 years of experience in public relations, strategy, and healthcare administration. Currently serving as the Executive Director of the Heart and Vascular Service Line at Tanner Health System, she was recently honored as one of Cardiovascular Business's Forty Under 40 for 2025, recognizing her innovative leadership in cardiovascular care. Click here to find her on LinkedIn.