Fostering Leadership Potential

Leadership development for a physician requires a comprehensive approach and lasts throughout his or her entire career. Hospitalist leaders can foster leadership in their organizations by proactively recruiting physicians with leadership potential.

To do this, first determine whether a candidate’s skills and knowledge meet your organization’s needs. A well-constructed interview enables you to evaluate attitude, self-image, and social skills. The interview process should look below the surface to assess the candidate’s motives, values, and key personality traits.

Traits to look for in physician leaders include:
▪ Organizational agility
▪ Integrity values
▪ History of achievement
▪ Motivation
▪ Professional and personal goals
▪ Interpersonal and communication skills
▪ Ability to accept feedback and respond to coaching
▪ Leadership experience and potential

To target and develop leadership potential in a physician, the key is to start early. Immediately introduce physicians to the organization’s goals, mission, vision, and core values, and discuss how these align with those of the physician.

By clarifying expectations, the developing physician leader will better understand how his or her skills will help to lead the organization in multiple ways: clinically, as a business enterprise, and among peers and staff.

Ensure that up-and-coming hospitalist leaders understand the expectations and specific responsibilities related to their job description. Communication and ongoing feedback and support are essential and send the message that you want to nurture the careers of physician leaders. This helps to increase job satisfaction and retention.

Recruiting to Win Spouse Approval

You think you’ve found the right match for your hospitalist position – the feedback from your interview team overwhelmingly points to one outstanding candidate, and the position seems to meet the prospective employee’s professional and personal goals.

However, there is an important element missing that could derail the entire offer: does the spouse support this job change? One of the most common reasons that candidates will refuse a position is because their spouse is dissatisfied or unsure regarding factors related to the job. In fact, over 60% of offers are rejected specifically because of the spouses’ concerns.

During the evaluation process, be sensitive to personal and professional needs of the candidate’s family, particularly when the position involves relocation.

Beyond salary and incentives, “quality of life” in the community and location are important. Considerations may also include:
Career opportunities for the spouse
Residential areas
Education
Religious institutions
Recreational facilities
Cultural and sporting activities

When recruiting a candidate, assure the spouse that he or she will be an integral part of the interview process. Learn about the spouse’s professional and personal interests, and then prepare an itinerary for the candidate’s family. While you’re under no obligation to find a spouse employment, you could set up courtesy interviews with some potential employers, churches, schools, and real estate offices. By addressing the spouse’s particular needs and desires, you can emphasize key factors of the position that help to engage them and win their acceptance.

How to Find Quality Candidates

Experiencing the recruitment blues? Finding quality candidates in today’s market can be particularly challenging, as hospital medicine programs grow increasingly competitive and the nationwide physician shortage becomes more severe.

Note: A shortage of 200,000 physicians across all specialties is predicted by 2020. Source: Cejka Search.

The successful recruitment of star hospitalists requires careful thought and execution through an organized search plan. However, a quarter of all organizations surveyed do not define what they are looking for in candidates before they begin searching.

First, engage senior leadership to help you define the core competencies (skills, motivations, and behaviors) of the position you are seeking to fill. Senior leadership can provide direction regarding the organization’s goals, which can then guide you in orchestrating a recruitment process. There are both short- and long-term organizational goals to consider, and they span multiple areas including:
▪ Clinical
▪ Operational
▪ Financial
▪ Cultural

Finding the right physician to match your organization’s expectations requires sensitivity to factors inherent in the position. For example, the greater the number of responsibilities of a position, the smaller the pool of candidates with the desired personal and professional qualifications will be.

Determining how a position fits your organization’s needs, critiquing the specifications and job descriptions, and ensuring that your team is properly trained to interview candidates can help your organization more successfully recruit top-quality hospitalists that fit well into your organization.

How to Close the Deal

Your hospitalist candidate has completed the on-site interview process and you’ve begun your wrap-up session.

At this stage, it is best to provide the candidate with personal, direct, and meaningful feedback. Comments that you might incorporate into your closing conversation include the following:
▪ “We really like you and feel that the interview went very well.”
▪ “We believe you’d be a tremendous fit for our hospitalist program.”
▪ “Are there any issues that came up today that we should address?”
▪ “What are your thoughts about the position and the organization?”

Closing the deal ultimately comes down to knowing your hospitalist candidate both professionally and personally. A physician is most likely to accept a position if it offers a better career path, a promotion, or better lifestyle. Through a candid conversations, you can learn about one’s professional and personal goals, and identify what opportunities your organization can provide over his or her current situation.

If the candidate portrays a positive attitude and likes the organization, position, salary, and the community you may want to ask, “If we were to make you an offer, what would you say?” If the candidate seems prepared to make the decision, you may want to cut and close. In that case, if you’ve done your reference checks, you’re home free.

Screening Candidates to Ensure the Best Fit

Screening a hospitalist candidate goes beyond reviewing a resume and performing the necessary background and reference checks. It is also important to consider whether the candidate is a good “fit” for your organization. For example, does he or she share the majority of the organization’s work styles, philosophies, and goals?

When assessing whether a candidate is a good fit, first you must candidly consider the style of your department and organization. Address questions such as:
1. Does the organization value individual performance or team play?
2. Is the organization’s style loose or structured with regard to schedules, coverage, etc.?
3. How social is the department and organization?
4. Does the position entail taking risks, or it more suited to a cautious hospitalist?
5. How much value does the organization place on saving money and improving the bottom line?

Next, develop a checklist of all of the qualities you are seeking in a hospitalist. Begin by addressing the following questions:
1. Do you need a team player or an independent performer?
2. Do you want a physician who will stay for 20 years or for five?
3. Are community involvement and civic contributions important?
4. What does the candidate’s background tell you about his or her ability to fit in with your organization?

While there is no fail-safe method for assessing candidates, a careful appraisal of your organization coupled with a detailed exploration of a candidate’s personal and professional goals will help you better determine if he or she is a good match.