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In an ever-changing healthcare environment, effective leadership becomes the staple of any successful organization. In today's world, many physicians are not pursuing traditional careers in practice or academic medicine.
So how do you measure an effective leader in a diverse marketplace? In the pharmaceutical industry especially, many are struggling with the transition of being a physician coupled with the responsibilities of a successful industry leader.
What qualities differentiate those leaders who can make an impact versus those who might find a leadership role more challenging? During the past 2 years, companies large and small had to shrink to squeeze through the eye of recession storm - and learn how to compete on a new playing field.
Leaders in all realms of the industry have had to scramble to keep things afloat, while ensuring that their people remain engaged, so that they don't jump ship.
So now, more than ever, companies have to ensure that they develop their current leaders, and bring in new hires that are compatible with not only the job, but also the environment and the team.
Debra Yu, managing director at Labrador Advisors agrees. "Being a leader in a company really depends on the organization's goals," she noted. "If you're looking to hire a CEO in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry, you know they have the science background. But you also want to know - do they have business management skills? Is their personality such that it lends itself to the kind of skill set that a CEO would require?"
Leadership Characteristics
So what characteristics make a physician leader successful? And why would this information be important to know?
Human resources consulting firm Caliper decided to tackle these questions with executive search firm Amrop Battallia Winston.
Evidence from recent studies has shown that personality is a strong indicator of the types of individuals who are successful and are able to take on executive-level roles. Moreover, personality can give insights into how executives lead their organizations.
The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, the study aimed to identify the particular personality traits in the study group of physicians that lead to behaviors that demonstrate success. The results would also provide a composite data set of leadership traits shared by successful physician leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. These personality traits can also link into competencies already developed by individual organizations regarding their unique leadership definitions.
Secondly, the results of this study can serve as a road map for recruiters in identifying potential leaders and bringing on suitable candidates. The information could, ultimately, guide recruitment firms in the future as they assess candidates for roles. As a result, both recruiting firms can drastically improve physician leader selection, on-boarding and retention processes.
Caliper and Amrop Battallia Winston first identified job-related behaviors directly related to successful physician leadership. These include:
- Confidently expressing ideas and opinions
- Motivating others to perform at their best
- Building alignment and influencing others from various functional areas
- Recognizing problems, issues and opportunities
- Thinking strategically to promote growth, process improvement or in the attempt of gaining competitive advantage
- Implementing problem-solving strategies
- Taking action that challenges the status quo
- Willing to make tough decisions
- Being persistent
Study Sample
A pool of participants was pulled from various pharmaceutical and biotech firms. Sixty-seven individuals deemed as successful leaders by their respective companies or Amrop Battallia Winston were identified to participate from these companies. These individuals all hold leadership positions in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
From here, each participant was administered the Caliper Profile, which is a validated personality assessment that measures 26 different personality traits and motivational factors that correlate with job-related behaviors. Of the 67 individuals, 39 completed the assessment and served as the final study sample.
Results
The characteristics that were analyzed fell into four clusters: Leadership, Interpersonal, Problem Solving/Decision Making and Personal Organization/Time Management. The wider the blue bars on the graph, the larger the degree of variance that existed within the group. The narrower the blue bar, the more similar the group was relative to that particular trait.
In general, the group of participant physician leaders scored above average in the areas of assertiveness, aggressiveness, ego-drive, risk-taking, urgency, abstract reasoning and idea orientation.
So, how does this information translate?
Leadership
This test group displays strengths in communicating their points of view in a direct way, and they are comfortable interacting in situations that call for a straightforward communications style. They also tend to feel comfortable reinforcing and defending their point of view when up against resistance. They are generally comfortable in leadership roles and are likely to clearly convey performance expectations to others.
Even though the results indicate that these leaders might not welcome conflict, they will most likely be willing to engage in difficult conversations as needed. And they will do so with the desire to gain buy-in to their point of view. Communicating the company direction, vision and goals would likely come easily to this group, as they tend to communicate in a way that is easily understood. As a result, this team of physician leaders could be effective in inspiring their teams.
In terms of urgency and risk-taking, the results indicate that the study group will lean more toward action than deliberation. The group consists of strong, decisive leaders that are action oriented and willing to challenge the status quo. However, because of this driving force, and lower level of cautiousness, there could be some potential for opportunities to really think through a situation before making a decision.
Interpersonal
This group of physician leaders displays a cordial dynamic. However, they are not likely to be focused on the social initiative in every situation. They tend to establish basic rapport and understand others' wants, needs and reactions. Because of the driving factors around urgency, these individuals are apt to be more results-focused than relationship-focused.
Research findings suggest that effective managers are often less accommodating, and therefore are not afraid of preserving personal relationships in light of getting goals accomplished. In addition, this group might not be driven by hearing a "thank you." They are likely to be sought out for assistance, rather than seeking to assist others.
Problem-Solving/Decision-Making
The study group displays an ability to see patterns in information, cause and effect relationships and problem-solving potential. As a result, they will likely be able to solve problems quickly, recognize key issues and understand how one problem affects the other.
In addition, they displayed characteristics that would lend themselves to innovative thinking. In combination with their willingness to take risks, this group is likely to go outside the box when coming up with solutions. However, despite this group's strong dynamics in strategic planning and risk-taking, they are not likely to bury themselves in details. So it is likely that this group will not take personal ownership of detailed project plans; rather they will most readily contribute to the strategic, high-level thinking associated with project management.
Personal Organization/Time Management
The theme of the study group with regard to personal organization is that of multi-tasking and the ability to juggle various projects. In fact, they might gravitate toward such an environment, being that this is something that this group tends to enjoy. They are likely to have a variety of projects on their plates, and are not apt to focus on one aspect for an extended period of time. In relation to the group's urgency and risk-taking orientation, they will drive results and look to get things done.
However, in doing so, they might have trouble staying focused on one item. They could be biased toward quick action rather than thoughtful deliberation. They will probably enjoy the ambiguous situations they come across, but they are less likely to thrive in structured, regimented atmospheres.
Analysis
So what does this all mean, and how can this information be leveraged?
The goal in conducting this study was to have a better understanding of the traits that make physician leaders successful, and how those traits translate into leadership behaviors. By placing a study such as this one alongside a candidate's profile, organizations (and recruiting firms) can help build a better picture around how someone can fit into the mix of their organization.
 With further analysis into a comprehensive job description, recruiters and organizations alike can utilize this information to hire more people like their top physician leaders.
It can take the guesswork out of hiring physician leaders on the basis of how well they fit into the organization's culture, the team with which they will surround themselves and the duties they will be undertaking on a daily basis.
This study is a roadmap that helps recruiters guide their hiring process in a direction that will keep their competition on their toes.
Thomas E. Schoenfelder is the head of research for Caliper, an international human resources consulting firm.
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