Launch leadership recruitment efforts

Dear medical staff leader:

Proactive physician leadership recruitment means finding those physicians on the medical staff who have the ability to lead, but whose latent talents may not have come to the notice of current officers, nominating committees, or hospital administrators. It is essential to be able to identify talent in the ranks of the organization to target individuals for growth and development of their leadership skills.

Using surveys is one tool to ferret out potential leaders. Questionnaires distributed to the entire medical staff at periodic intervals can query people's interest in leadership roles, inquire as to any barriers discouraging them from coming forward, and discover if there is a timeframe along which someone might consider taking on a new role.

This survey should ask whether the individual completing it has held leadership positions elsewhere-within a professional society, on another medical staff, within a group practice, in medical school, or within an organization outside of medicine. It should also inquire about interest in future leadership roles and the timeframe for this goal. Individuals might not feel they are currently in the position to take on additional roles, but may indicate availability in the future.

Consider periodic polling of key medical staff members seeking suggestions for potential leaders. This process can identify excellent leadership candidates who might be reluctant to come forward without encouragement or prodding. Such polling might not just query directly about potential leadership candidates, but also probe for individuals with the qualities that can lead to effective leaders. Examples of such qualities include clinical excellence, personal charisma, strong interpersonal skills, effective problem solving abilities, etc.

Launch these leadership recruitment efforts this year to ensure your medical staff is lead in 2005 and beyond by qualified, competent, and motivated physicians.