Professor Russell Roberson
Textbook: Northouse, P.G. (2009). Leadership: Theory and Practice. (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
I was raised with the conventional wisdom that leadership is an inborn trait possessed by certain unique and talented individuals. Either a person has it or s/he doesn’t. I came to this course with a healthy dose of skepticism and was surprised to find the subject much more extensive, interesting, and valuable than I had anticipated. While there is still no consensus definition of leadership, nearly 100 years of research have demonstrated that leadership is not a characteristic, but a process, that it occurs within groups of people, and that it involves influencing people to work toward a common goal. The process involves interaction between leader and followers and is mediated by skills, actions and behaviors which can be learned and improved over time. Even though some people possess innate talents and abilities that allow them to rapidly develop outstanding leadership skills, everyone has qualities that can develop into competent or even distinctive leadership skills, if s/he works hard to learn and develop the techniques.
Over the course of the quarter we studied the difference between management and leadership, the sources of leadership power, the importance of perception in leadership functioning, characteristics of effective leaders, the impact of diversity on leadership and change, and the responsibilities of leaders including ethical and moral aspects of leadership decision-making. We studied several integrated theories of leadership including the skills approach, the behavioral (styles) approach, situational leadership, contingency theory, team leadership and leader member exchange, transformational leadership, authentic leadership, and the psychodynamic theory of leadership. Dr. Roberson, currently the leader of a major division at a large corporation, also shared additional materials which he had written explaining leadership ideas and methods he had developed in the course of his own career.
Each week we completed one of the Northouse Leadership Measurement Instruments (LMI) to assess our abilities and functioning as leaders according to the criteria of the theory under study that week. Often these required the student to supply both introspective assessment and feedback from coworkers. A link to an example LMI is attached. The major course project was an individual research and reflection paper to develop and state the student’s personal philosophy of leadership, and a link to that paper is also attached.
Businessman and leadership guru Warren Bennis once famously remarked, “Leading doctors is like herding cats.” This course finally gave me a
basis for understanding the special challenges of physician leadership. Most doctors spend 8 to 10 years in medical school and postgraduate training mastering a huge body of knowledge and a wide array of skills and procedures. Everything we do in daily clinical practice, we either do ourselves or write a detailed tactical plan (orders) for others to carry out. We are accustomed to telling people (patients and small clinical teams) what to do rather than motivating and empowering them, and this behavior is expected. We are highly analytical and good at problem solving, but the circumstances of science and disease management often require us to behave tactically and reactively, rather than creatively and imaginatively. We are wary of expressing our own emotions, fiercely independent, often quite opinionated, and used to being held solely
responsible for outcomes. This makes us wary of ceding power and engenders distrust of our colleagues who have accepted leadership positions. In sum, training and life experiences often make physicians poor leaders and poor followers.
basis for understanding the special challenges of physician leadership. Most doctors spend 8 to 10 years in medical school and postgraduate training mastering a huge body of knowledge and a wide array of skills and procedures. Everything we do in daily clinical practice, we either do ourselves or write a detailed tactical plan (orders) for others to carry out. We are accustomed to telling people (patients and small clinical teams) what to do rather than motivating and empowering them, and this behavior is expected. We are highly analytical and good at problem solving, but the circumstances of science and disease management often require us to behave tactically and reactively, rather than creatively and imaginatively. We are wary of expressing our own emotions, fiercely independent, often quite opinionated, and used to being held solely
responsible for outcomes. This makes us wary of ceding power and engenders distrust of our colleagues who have accepted leadership positions. In sum, training and life experiences often make physicians poor leaders and poor followers.
From our undergraduate days onward, physicians are tightly focused on developing an excellent knowledge base, medical competence, and
judgment. These qualities form the basis on which physician performance is judged, and they are highly valued in the profession. In the wider scheme of things, there is more to it than that. If medicine is to meet the 21st-century challenges of using technology and evidence-based
medicine to improve the quality of care while controlling costs, we will need both good physician leaders and a change in our attitude about leadership. That is the most important lesson I learned in the leadership class.
judgment. These qualities form the basis on which physician performance is judged, and they are highly valued in the profession. In the wider scheme of things, there is more to it than that. If medicine is to meet the 21st-century challenges of using technology and evidence-based
medicine to improve the quality of care while controlling costs, we will need both good physician leaders and a change in our attitude about leadership. That is the most important lesson I learned in the leadership class.