Sujana S. Chandrasekhar, MD, FACS
President,
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
New York Otology
www.ears.nyc
DISCLOSURES
 No pertinent disclosures
Many of the quotes in
this talk come from
‘Inspiring Quotes’
selected by several of the
60 authors in this book.
Why add Leadership?
Leaders think and talk
about the solutions;
Followers think and talk
about the problems.
-Brian Tracy
What is Leadership?
Leadership is the process of influencing
people and providing an environment for
them to achieve team or organizational
objectives.
Leaders come in all shapes/sizes/styles.
An effective leader:
 Creates an inspiring vision of the future.
 Motivates and inspires people to engage
with that vision.
 Manages delivery of the vision.
 Coaches and builds a team, so that it is
more effective at achieving the vision.
Leadership is the art of
getting someone else to
do something you want
done because he wants
to do it.– Dwight D.
Eisenhower
Who are Leaders?
Fortune – World’s 50 Greatest Leaders:
1. Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
2. Mario Draghi, President, European Central Bank
3. Xi Jinping, President, People’s Republic of China
4. Pope Francis
5. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, India
6. Taylor Swift, Pop Star
7. Joanne Liu, Intnl President, Medecin Sans Frontieires
8. John Roberts, Jr, Chief Justice, US Supreme Court
9. Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
10. Joshua Wong, Activist, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Movement
11. Johnetta Elzie & DeRay McKessen, Non-violent Protestors, Ferguson, MO
18. Bill & Melinda Gates, Gates Foundation
19. Pete Frates, Advocate, ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge”
23. Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla and SpaceX
25. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook
32. Mark Bertolini, CEO, Aetna
39. Anthony Fauci, Director, NIAH, NIH
42. Richard Pazdur, Director, FDA Heme/Onc Products
Leaders in Otolaryngology
 Panel: The Impaired Physician – Trio Meeting, Jan 2016
 Thoughtful
 Knowledgeable
 Compassionate
 Charismatic
 Principled
Types of Leaders
 Leader by the position achieved
 Leader by personality, charisma
 Leader by moral example
 Leader by power held
 Intellectual leader
 Leader because of ability to
accomplish things
All effective leaders
are:
- self-aware
- able to change
- lifelong learners.
Managers vs. Leaders
MANAGERS
• Focus on things
• Do things right
• Plan
• Organize
• Direct
• Control
• Follow the rules
LEADERS
• Focus on people
• Do the right things
• Inspire
• Influence
• Motivate
• Build
• Shape entities
Managers vs. Leaders
MANAGERS
• Focus on things
• Do things right
• Plan
• Organize
• Direct
• Control
• Follow the rules
Managers vs. Leaders
LEADERS
• Focus on people
• Do the right things
• Inspire
• Influence
• Motivate
• Build
• Shape entities
Six Leadership Competencies
 Accepts chaos
 Shares information
 Develops relationships
 Embraces vision
 Acts with authenticity
 Demonstrates ethical
sensibility
ISN’T AFRAID
TO STAND
OUT
How Do You Become a Leader?




It’s often fortuitous
Right place/right time
Realize that’s what you like
1 year, 5 year, lifetime goals
 “Happiness” is not a goal – it is
the byproduct of a life welllived. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
Seek mentors/counselors
Look at yourself critically
Make sure you’re tough enough
Make sure your family is on
board
 Be prepared for
disappointments




Otolaryngology
 Attend meetings
 Speak up!
 Volunteer!
 Apply for committees/
taskforces
 Ask older (0r younger)
members for guidance and
recommendations
 Do journal reviews
 Write articles
 Mentor others up
 Leaders don’t make others into
followers; they make them into
other leaders
Four Essential Pillars
of Leadership
What Sets a
Physician Leader
Apart from Other
Leaders?
 EDUCATION
 CLINICAL
 RESEARCH
 PEOPLE/
RELATIONSHIPS
My Story
 Immigrated to the US at age 5
 Mom’s fellowship in adolescent medicine at Children’s of the DC
 Parents had to re-do residencies – Peds and ENT – at NYU
 6 year combined BS-MD program – so I was an MD at age 22
 Interviewed for Otolaryngology residency spots in 1985
 Most places didn’t take women
 Others had only 1 spot potentially available for ‘other’
 Did residency at NYU – 1986-1992
 2 years of General Surgery


“I’ve been trying to make you cry for 3 months”
‘Trauma Mama’
 4 years of Otolaryngology

What’s a nice girl like
me doing in a profession
like this?
1st Academy meeting was Sept 1988
 Interviewed for Neurotology fellowships – I was still me.
 Got married in July 1992
 Started House Otol/Neurotol fellowship in Jan 1993 in LA
 Found mentors at HEC/HEI: ADC, JLS, JWH, DEB, MJD
 First job – New Jersey Medical School
 Surfactant and SSNHL research

Mentored students, residents, post-docs
 Started the CI Program of NJ
 3 kids
 Promoted up to Assoc Prof despite “you’ve been on maternity leave”

Wrote a seminal paper on SSNHL during that particular maternity leave
 Attended first BOG meeting
 “You’re the little lady who applied for the most committees”
 Second job – Mount Sinai Medical School
 Rocky preamble: “This job is not open to you.”
 Started CI program and UNHS program
 Triologic Society membership – including award for my thesis
 Self-taught re: business of medicine/practice management
 Ongoing committee work at the Academy and at both institutions
 Academy Leadership courses
 AAMC Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar
‘What Doesn’t Kill You…’
 Very difficult period
25
20
15
10
5
0
Feb to Oct 2004
 Found out I was 3+ months
pregnant (with baby #4!)
9/1/04
 Left academic medicine 10/1/04
 Hung a shingle in private
practice on UES of NYC
 Had my 4th child Feb 16, 2005
 Ramped up publications and
AAO-HNS/F commitments
 Expanded practice Feb 16, 2006
SSC Publications
 Got my first ‘sorry you lost’ call when I
was in the ER with my daughter who
was having high fevers.
 Elected Member-at-Large and then
Chair of the BOG
 Elected President-Elect of the AAOHNS in 2014
Sujana’s tips –
Always read; Always learn
To thine own self be true
Always Learn:
10 Small Things You Can Do Every Day to Get Smarter
Jessica Stillman/Inc. July 2014
1.
Be smarter about your online time
Don’t just FB/Twitter/etc.
Utilize great learning resources




2.
3.
Online courses, TED talks, vocabulary-building tools
Oto-HNS PodCasts, Academy U learning modules
Write down what you learn


400 words per day on what you’ve learned
Grown up ‘diary’

Taking stock of what you’ve accomplished provides critical
fuel
Make a ‘did’ list
4. Play board games, puzzles

Give your brain a workout
10 Small Things You Can Do Every Day
Jessica Stillman/Inc. July 2014
5.
Have smart friends


Your IQ is the average of the five
closest people you hang out with
Be humble and willing to learn
6. Read a lot

Essential – quantity is important

Newspapers, fiction, non-fiction
7. Explain it to others
8. Do random new things

You can only connect the dots looking
backwards
9. Learn a new language
10. Take some downtime

Sit in silence, run, walk
Personally
and
Professionally
Jon Chilingerian, PhD,
Heller School at Brandeis U.
The Tenth Man concept:
Don’t be afraid of disagreeing
or of disagreement
Organizations are like Icebergs
Jon Chilingerian, PhD,
Heller School at Brandeis U.
Information School, U of Washington
ABCDs of Leadership
 Align – don’t fix.
 Academic excellence
 Build diverse teams.
 Building relationships
 Create the culture of
 Completing
transparency.
 Trust breeds openness.
 Don’t manage –
empower.
Ekaterina Walter, Forbes
commitments
 Diversity of thought and
of teams
What is your dream?
When you share your dreams,
they become goals.
- Dawn Fay
The future belongs to
those who believe in the
beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
The most courageous act is
to think for yourself.
Aloud. – Coco Chanel
And a final few words…
Love What You’re Doing
Know Yourself
Don't listen to your peers
Don't listen to your parents
Don't listen to your culture
Only listen to your self
That's where you're going to
find your truth.
-George Lucas