All Physicians Lead: Redefining Physician Leadership for Better Patient Outcomes

Leadership is an integral part of what doctors do.

All physicians lead, not just those with "official" leadership titles, such as CMO or Chief of Surgery. If leadership can be defined as influencing thought and behavior to achieve desired results, then clearly it isn't something physicians work toward only as a later-career goal. Leadership is a skillset physicians practice every day. Whether persuading a patient to stop smoking, a lab to return speedy results, or a surgical team to understand what needs to happen in the OR, physicians lead. Leadership is baked into the job.

In fact, we already look to physicians as leaders. We expect them to make critical healthcare decisions, inspire treatment teams, influence patients' behaviors, communicate impeccably, and be exemplars of professional conduct. Few roles in society carry more built-in leadership expectations then that of physician.

And yet, most physicians receive little focused training in leadership. While clinical skills are drilled into every physician-in-training for years, leadership skills are left largely to chance. All Physicians Lead seeks to change that. Primarily aimed at physicians, it offers an intro course in physician-leadership, using a "concentric circles" model: As a physician, progressing from learning to lead yourself, to leading other individuals, to leading teams, and finally, to leading organizations, can improve healthcare team performance and patient outcomes. Fundamentally, self-awareness underpins every stage of leadership.

The book also speaks to those in charge of medical schools, healthcare organizations, and physicians' professional associations, arguing that leadership should be considered a core competency throughout every doctor's career and structured education in leadership fundamentals should begin the first day as a medical student. Better physician leadership results in higher-performing healthcare teams, improved patient satisfaction, and better health outcomes for patients.

Authored by a prominent neurosurgeon and seasoned healthcare leader who literally "wrote the book" on physician leadership for the U.S. Army, All Physicians Lead is more than a book title, it is a rallying cry for change.