Enjoy this inspirational video on not quiting when life and work are difficult!

What if we practiced and valued the behaviors described in this video within our organization or team?

We would create an environment of trust and collaboration.

What inspires you to action?  What sparks your soul?   You are invited to watch this motivational video and reflect on its insights and inspiring ideas. A great way to start the week.

At the Harvard Business School Symposium, Imagining the Future of Leadership, 9 expert thinkers were asked the question “What is the biggest mistake a leader can make?”  This group of experts identified 10 critical mistakes.  In addition to listing the ten mistakes I will identify the potential impact of these mistakes on an organization and team.  As you read through the mistakes, consider the impact on your organization and team. Feel free to leave comments.

1. Putting your own interests ahead of the best interests of the organization or institution you represent. –Bill George, Professor, Harvard Business School and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic

Impact:  Others will not follow you; you loose credibility

2. Betraying trust. — Evan Wittenberg, Head of Global Leadership Development, Google, Inc.

Impact: Poor working relationships; Decreased retention; Decreased morale; Increased conflict

3. Being certain. — Dr. Ellen Langer, Professor, Harvard University

Impact: Failure to seek input from team; Team will not share critical information; Decreased innovation; poor decisions

4. Not living up to your values. — Andrew Pettigrew, Professor, Siad Business School, University of Oxford

Impact: Conflict between action and values; Not attracting qualified team members; not being a role model and walking the talk; distrust

5. Being overly enamored with your vision. — Gianpiero Petriglieri, Affiliate Professor of Organizational Behavior, INSEAD

Impact: Passion becomes an obsession; Unable to make unbiased decisions; Continuing on a course which is not relevant anymore

6. Displaying personal arrogance. — Carl Sloane, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School

Impact: Team demotivated; Increased potential you will make mistakes; Team will not let you know of mistakes which impacts patient safety; Increased potential for legal liability

7. Acting too fact. — Jonathan Doochin, Leadership Institute at Harvard College

Impact: Not having all the facts can lead to poor decisions; Not getting input from team can lead to not knowing the unintended consequences; Cost you money; May need to backtrack

8. Giving off an attitude that it’s all about the leader. — Scott Snook, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School and retired Colonel, US Army Corps of Engineers

Impact: People want a mission larger than themselves (example: providing quality patient care) and this leadership attitude can lead to decreased retention; Staff will buy pass you; Competition of team to look after their own interests, since you the leader are not a role model of the servant leader

9. Being inauthentic and inconsistent. — Scott Snook, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School and retired Colonel, US Army Corps of Engineeers

Impact: Team is confused of who is showing up today if you are having mood swings; Lack of direction/mission/values; Mistrust; Decreased productivity

10. Not being self-reflective. — Daisy Wademan Dowling, Executive Director, Leadership Development at Morgan Stanley

Impact: Not understanding your impact on others and the role your play in it; You play the blame game; Increased stress

In future blog posts I will go into more detail on each of these mistakes. I will provide tips and tools on how to identify and overcome these mistakes.  Overcoming these barriers to become a successful leader involves developing leadership and interpersonal skills.  Develop a leadership style that is you and is positive and effective.  If you would like to explore how you can become a more effective physician leader, you are invited to schedule a free strategy session with me. Click here to schedule your strategy session.

A video is available of these experts answering the question “What is the biggest mistake a leader can make?”

Watch the video on the Harvard Business School web site. Click here.

As physician leaders we want to lead and inspire our health care teams. Enjoy this video of inspiration.

To learn about the 10 mistakes physician leaders should avoid download your free report by clicking here.

It is great to start the week with a moment of inspiration.  I have found this video Dare To Be relaxing and motivational. Enjoy!

l

Physician Executives!  Are you on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn? These social networks are tools where you can connect with other health care leaders and network.  Social Media is a way to

• Get your message out
• Have a conversation and dialogue with peers
• Ask questions

However, to begin you must take the first step. Jeff Herring and Maritza Parra discuss tips on how to get started in the following video.

If you have had a difficult and trying day today, watch this video and be inspired and re-energized.

Do you dread attending meetings? Do your meetings have the following characteristics:

• Boring
• The same individuals drive the conversation
• Decisions are not made
• The same topics are covered over and over again
• Finger pointing is rampant
• The agenda is not followed

Do you come out of the meeting drained?  I will share with you now one secret that can transform your meetings. Start your meeting on a HIGH note. Imagine what it would be like if you started the meeting with what went right and was successful during the week.  Share stories when the team’s strengths and responsibilities were in alignment. Share stories when team members went out of their way to accomplish a task.  Have team members share a story when they saw another member working in their strengths and doing a great job.  Some of these stories can be acts of kindness and compassion. Knowing that their strengths and abilities are valued and are essential to the success of the team or organization, inspires people to give their best. They will work with others so that the best in others are  brought out.

Consider asking the following questions:

• When were we at our best this week?
• What opportunities can we pursue?
• How can we make a difference this week?
• How can we collaborate and support each other this week to address specific issues?

What other questions can you think of?   Feel free to comment on this topic.  I would love to hear from you.  When you try this technique, let me know your results?

We all love a good story. In fact, stories and narratives are great teaching tools. They catch our attention and stimulate our brain and emotions.  The authors of the book  Appreciative Leadership present an Indian folk tale of “Two Wolves”:

One evening an old Cherokee man told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is bad. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, and superiority. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truty, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson listened and thought for a while. Then he asked his grandfather, ” Which wolf wins the battle?”

The grandfather smiled and replied. “The one you feed.”

Which WOLF do you feed?