Alice faced the challenge of finding a way for Dr. Yelyuk to learn the management ropes while on the job. Her first idea was to set Yelyuk up
with an apprenticeship from the department’s medical director, on the assumption that doctors like to learn from other doctors. She was soon
disabused of that notion, however, after consulting with a few nurses; the director’s management skills, they advised, were worse than Dr. Yelyuk’s.
Alice next reached out to HR and the COO, but they had nothing in the way of orientation or apprenticeship; there were no training programs
on day-to-day management for surgeons, though such a program might be something for the chief medical officer and the COO to consider.
OK, Alice thought, the goals for this coaching assignment are coming to light. Dr. Yelyuk needed insight around leadership behavior and hands on training to manage teamwork and handle stress. To sum it up, their work would focus on those three things: leadership, teamwork, and
managing stress.
Week 4: A Leader Who Doesn’t Lead
“I don’t understand. Why shouldn’t I let my patients know that Roberto and Mark adopted a baby girl? Why shouldn’t I hug Mai Lee and tell
everybody that she’s my best friend and my daughter’s godmother when I’m at work?”
“I have a new name for you,” Alice said, smiling. “I’m going to call you ‘Dr. Why’.”
They were in the initial stages of setting goals, but had already encountered some difficulties. For example, Dr. Yelyuk simply didn’t see
why she shouldn’t treat her staff as friends and family.
“Are you aware that people look up to you?” Alice asked. “As a doctor, you have a great deal of power and influence. Everyone on your surgical team looks to you for guidance.”
This brought her up short. She shook her head, a puzzled expression on her face.
Alice continued. “If they don’t get guidance from you, then they have to improvise. And they start secretly guiding you. You read what
they said in the 360.”
“Yes, but . . . you mean. . . .”
“Like it or not, you’re the leader around here. If you don’t lead, other people will fill the vacuum.”
“Hmm,” she said. “I never saw it like that. I haven’t thought of myself as a leader. But why can’t I still be friendly and treat people like family?”
Alice shook her head. “These people you call your ‘family’ are actually your staff. It doesn’t mean you can’t be friendly, but your first duty is to
be a leader to them—to manage the day-to-day operations so that things get done smoothly and optimally. This is what they want and need from you most of all.”
