Physician First: Leader Always

This chapter focuses on how clinical skills (e.g., diagnosis and management of disease or illness) can translate to leadership skills (e.g., communication and decision-making). It explores the links between clinical decision-making and leadership decision-making and how a strong clinical skill set can be both beneficial and a barrier to effective leadership. It also describes how perspective can change when one transitions to leadership. Emphasized is the need to adapt strong clinical skills to serve one well in a leadership role using examples from both clinical care and leadership scenarios. Finally, the chapter discusses how physicians are already experts in process improvement through clinical care.