The Ten (11)
Commandments of
Surgery Department
ClickLeadership
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Todd K. Rosengart, MD
DeBakey-Bard Chair of Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine
October, 2015
Todd Rosengart, MD:
Leadership (Un)Qualifications
Medical school: Northwestern
General surgery residency: NYU
Cardiac surgery residency: Cornell (NYP)
Research fellowship: NIH
Asst/Assoc. professor: Weill Cornell
Professor: Northwestern
Chair: SUNY, Stony Brook
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DeBakey-Bard Chair of Surgery: Baylor College of Medicine
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Business school:
Masters (in anything):
Sociology/psychology in college:
Todd Rosengart, MD:
Leadership Qualifications
Experience: “Eyes Wide Open”
Dysfunctional faculty, staff and leadership opportunities
HR nightmares
Conflicts of interest
No good answers
Mentors
O. Wayne Isom, MD (Cardiac surgeon; Weill Cornell)
Frank Spencer, MD (Chair of surgery; NYU)
Richard Fine, MD (Dean; SUNY Stony Brook)
Mitch Rothschild (CEO & co-founder; Vital.com
Others (Modelling what not to do!)
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Books
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One Minute Manager (K. Blanchard)
Team of Teams (Gen. S. McChrystal)
Courses
Harvard School of Public Health
American College of Surgeons Leadership Training
First Commandment:
Protect Relationships
“Its All about the Relationship,
not the Transaction”
Don’t “Win the Battle, lose the War”
(It’s rarely worth it!)
- Always “Do the Right Thing”
- Gathering chits are worth dividends down the road
- How colleagues view you as a professional will affect how
you are treated in subsequent transactions:
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Downstream: allow (justifiable) expenditures
Upstream: accept disappointing decisions
Lateral: take a non-mandated pay cut
Second Commandment:
Maintain Fidelity
“We Work for the Faculty, Not Vice Versa”
(We don’t want to be one of THEM)
Faculty
Staff
Chair
“Push authority downstream”
- Gen. Stanley McChrystal
Team of Teams
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(If you have the right teammates), they will do it better and faster
They will respect you for it
You can’t (shouldn’t) do it all..
But…keep close tabs
Third Commandment:
Mine People Power
“Its All about the People”
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Seek “force multipliers”
Avoid “time and energy sinks”
Provide purpose and involvement (Forbes on Millenials)
After (documented) remediation, cut the cord
Relationships and Team Set?
Move
Forward….
Fourth Commandment:
Construct over Time
“Model Performance Improvement”
One Minute Manager:
• Set Goals
• Make Feedback timely and brief
• Sandwich with positives
• Never shortchange Praise
Fifth Commandment:
Project Transparency
With Trust in your Teammates…
“Let the Sun Shine…”
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What they don’t know can hurt You (unknown always worse…)
Sharing uncomfortable truths builds Trust and Collaboration
(caveat – unless it is truly personal, sensitive material)
• Knowledge is power – share the power
• Level the playing field
Sixth Commandment:
Rejoice in Your Mistakes
“To Err is Human, to Own Up to it is Divine”
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Self-transparency sets the standard
Service Recovery Paradox: corrected errors 25% more
impactful than nominality
Sets up a lean management / high reliability organization
Seventh Commandment:
HyperCommunicate
“If its Worth Being Said, Say it Again”
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Nothing is communicated in less than 5 episodes
Clear and specific feedback
Confirm receipt
Actions speak louder than words (lead by example)
Set deadlines
Allow no exceptions
Eighth Commandment:
Maintain Vigilance
“When in Doubt Check it Out”
No News is Often Not Good News!
• Things change
• Be in the loop – watch out if you’re not
• Don’t take the status quo for granted
(“The Constant Gardener”)
Even If You Got All That Right…..
#%*#! Happens!
Ninth Commandment:
Maintain Perspective
“Consider the Other Point of View”
Assuming the counterparty is well-meaning and not Evil….
• View the situation from their perspective
• Assess Their goals and concerns/fears
• Deliberate in person (NEVER by email) – body language
Tenth Commandment:
Embrace Mediocrity
“Don’t kick your dog if he can’t do calculus”
- O. Wayne Isom, MD (Old Texas proverb)
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Assess values and deficiencies
Leverage your emotional IQ (external awareness)
Work within team’s capabilities (the cards you are given)
But Still Set Goals as High as Possible (Forbes on Millenials)
Eleventh Commandment:
Be the Constant Gardener
“You Must Constantly Mind your Garden”
- Stanley McChrystal
Team of Teams
Your work is never done!
• Cultures erode
• People forget or leave your program
• Entropy and chaos are forever
Be a Leader
Which Sometimes (Often?) Means Swimming Upstream!