Becoming an effective medical staff leader: Create a vision

In past columns, I have offered tips and advice for becoming an even more effective medical staff leader, including:

• Use your medical staff office and medical staff services professional as your "go to" resources
• Get to know your leadership colleagues
• Create social opportunities to promote team building

Now, it's time to create your organization's underlying vision and resulting mission statement. Take time to reflect on what you believe to be the purpose of your medical staff by asking yourself the following questions:

• How do you describe your medical staff's culture? 
• What makes your medical staff unique from others? 
• Who will be members of your medical staff in the future? 
• How do you see your medical staff progressing in three to five years? 

Refer to your hospital's vision and mission statements often because you want them to complement one another. Conduct an Internet search using the key phrases "mission" and "vision" to garner more ideas and inspiration. It's not as difficult or time consuming as you might think. 

Don't be concerned about making your vision statement perfect. Bring medical staff leaders and select members of your medical staff office together to brainstorm. Write down all the ideas that bubble forth and focus on common theme or words. Together, decide what concepts best describe your medical staff.

After the medical staff has decided its course, add the newly created vision and mission statements to your meeting agendas. This will serve as a constant reminder of the direction in which the medical staff is headed. It will also promote collegiality and result in a unified sense of purpose and energy.

With a well-defined mission in hand, you and your colleagues will be able to see more clearly.

Until next we speak, SMILE!

Donna K. Goestenkors, CPMSM
Consultant - Credentialing & Privileging Practice
The Greeley Company