Becker’s panel recap: Prioritizing leadership development

By John Birkmeyer, MD | President, Medical Group 

Dr. John Birkmeyer, President, Medical Group

At Becker’s 14th annual meeting, the president of our medical group, Dr. John Birkmeyer, represented Sound in a panel conversation based on the idea that to thrive, healthcare organizations must prioritize the development of their leaders. Joining him was Ruthann Cunningham, DHSc, of Utah Valley University; Audrey Gamet, of UChicago Medicine; and Dawn Lacska-Tommerdahl, RN, BSN, of Dawn Lacska-Tommerdahl Inc. l

Here are a couple takeaways from the Becker’s summary: nt

1. A leader’s values must align with the organization’s values.

Gone are the days when a fancy degree guaranteed a C-suite position. Dr. Birkmeyer remarked that today, he identifies leaders based on four values: emotional intelligence and empathy, hustle, ownership mentality, and a bias toward optimism. Physician leaders who own their roles while finding the positive in challenging situations tend to be more durable.  

Gamet agreed, citing the behavioral interviewing that UChicago implements when identifying a candidate’s values and whether they would fit the organization’s goals and culture well.

2. Leadership development can be done at scale or individually.  

While each panelist’s organization tackled leadership development differently, one thing was abundantly clear — development programs are vital. Cultivating a sustainable pool of influential colleagues is the key to ensuring there are quality leaders at every level.  

Many of the panelists described a hybrid model of group and individual development. Group learning is often the first step to leadership development. Colleagues are treated like leaders and attend classes that help hone the tactical aspects of running successful teams. Late-stage development leans toward mentorship, allowing aspiring leaders to connect with and learn from those with experienced leaders. 

To read more from this panel, click here.