A Physician’s Journey to Success By R. Ryan Sadeghian

As a senior physician executive leader, I have had the privilege of leading teams of healthcare professionals toward a common goal of providing exceptional patient care. Throughout my journey, I have come to realize that effective leadership is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each physician leader has their own unique style, which is shaped by their experiences, personality, and values. In this blog, I would like to share my journey in finding my leadership style and the key lessons I have learned along the way.

Lesson 1: Self-Awareness

The first lesson I learned was the importance of self-awareness in leadership. Understanding my strengths, weaknesses, values, and communication style helped me to determine the type of leader I wanted to be. I took time to reflect on my personal and professional experiences and what I wanted to achieve as a physician leader. This self-reflection allowed me to create a leadership style that was authentic to me and aligned with my values.

Lesson 2: Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Another important lesson was the significance of empathy and emotional intelligence in leadership. As a physician leader, I needed to be able to understand the needs of my team members and patients on an emotional level. This required me to develop my emotional intelligence, which helped me to communicate more effectively and build stronger relationships with those around me.

Lesson 3: Collaboration and Empowerment

The third lesson I learned was the value of collaboration and empowerment in leadership. I realized that I could not achieve my goals alone and that building a strong team was essential. This involved creating an environment where team members felt empowered to take ownership of their work and had the resources they needed to succeed. Through collaboration and empowerment, I was able to build a team that was passionate, motivated, and committed to our shared mission.

Lesson 4: Flexibility and Adaptability

Finally, I learned the importance of flexibility and adaptability in leadership. Healthcare is an ever-evolving industry, and as a physician leader, I had to be able to adapt to change and stay flexible in my approach. This required me to be open-minded, willing to take risks, and ready to pivot when necessary. By being flexible and adaptable, I was able to steer my team toward success, even in the face of unexpected challenges.

In conclusion, finding your leadership style as a physician requires self-awareness, empathy, collaboration, empowerment, flexibility, and adaptability. By incorporating these lessons into your leadership style, you can achieve your goals and help your team members thrive.

I hope this blog has been helpful to you on your journey toward effective physician leadership.

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Managing Emotions and Opinions; A Lesson in Organizational Development

 Managing Emotions and Opinions; A Lesson in Organizational Development 

In team building and organizational development, it's essential to recognize and manage emotions and opinions over facts. Emotions and opinions can have a significant impact on how team members interact, communicate, and make decisions. If left unchecked, they can hinder progress, create conflicts, and even undermine the team's overall effectiveness.

Identifying Emotions and Opinions

Emotions and opinions are often deeply embedded within individuals and can manifest in a variety of ways. Some common signs include:

• Defensive or dismissive attitudes towards differing opinions
• Reluctance to consider alternative viewpoints
• Emotional reactions to particular topics or issues
• A tendency to prioritize personal beliefs over objective facts

To identify emotions and opinions, it's essential to encourage open and honest communication within the team. Regular team meetings and one-on-one conversations can provide a platform for team members to express their thoughts and feelings. In these discussions, it's important to actively listen and seek to understand the perspectives of others, rather than immediately dismissing them.

Managing Emotions and Opinions

Once emotions and opinions have been identified, the next step is to manage them effectively. Here are some strategies to consider:

1. Foster a culture of psychological safety - Encouraging team members to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or ridicule can help create a safe and supportive environment.
2. Encourage empathy - Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Encouraging team members to develop empathy towards their colleagues can help them appreciate differing perspectives and work together more effectively.
3. Focus on the facts - When making decisions or discussing important issues, it's crucial to focus on objective facts rather than personal beliefs or opinions. Encouraging team members to gather and analyze data can help ensure that decisions are based on evidence rather than emotions.
4. Address conflicts directly - Conflicts can arise when emotions and opinions are left unchecked. When conflicts do occur, it's important to address them directly and encourage respectful communication to find a resolution.
5. Provide training - Providing training on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and communication skills can help team members develop the skills needed to manage emotions and opinions effectively.

In addition, relying on objective facts is critical for making informed decisions and taking effective action. Objective facts are data and information that can be observed, measured, and validated through evidence-based research, experiments, and observations.

When team members rely solely on their personal beliefs or opinions without considering objective facts, it can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and poor decision-making. It's essential to prioritize objective facts over emotions and opinions because they provide a more reliable and accurate basis for decision-making.

Here are some strategies to help teams focus on objective facts:

1. Establish a process for gathering and analyzing data - Develop a process for collecting data that is relevant to the team's goals and objectives. Data can be collected through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other methods. Once the data is collected, it's important to analyze it objectively and draw conclusions based on the evidence.
2. Encourage critical thinking - Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information objectively and logically. Encouraging team members to ask questions and challenge assumptions can help them to think critically and identify gaps in their knowledge.
3. Use data to support decisions - When making decisions, it's essential to use data to support them. Presenting data in a clear and understandable way can help team members to make informed decisions based on evidence rather than personal opinions.
4. Be aware of cognitive biases - Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that can lead to errors in judgment. By being aware of cognitive biases, team members can work to identify and overcome them, and make more objective decisions.
5. Seek outside expertise - Sometimes, team members may lack the necessary expertise to make informed decisions. In these cases, it's essential to seek outside expertise from professionals in the relevant field. Seeking outside expertise can provide teams with objective and reliable information to make informed decisions.

In summary, relying on objective facts is essential for effective team building and organizational development. By establishing processes for gathering and analyzing data, encouraging critical thinking, using data to support decisions, being aware of cognitive biases, and seeking outside expertise, teams can make informed decisions based on objective evidence, rather than emotions and opinions. This can lead to better outcomes, improved performance, and stronger, more effective teams.

R. Ryan Sadeghian, MD, MBA, MSc, CPHIMS, FAAP

 

Visionary and strategic technology leader with repeated success leading enterprise clinical informatics operations, developing architecture, and optimizing data analysis. Extensive experience directing cross-functional teams in the design and integration of leading-edge technologies and solutions. Expert in launching technology programs that streamline operations, drive innovation, advance business strategy, and engage providers and staff. Seasoned team builder focused on acquiring and developing high-performing leaders and fostering cultures of excellence.

 

He is a Pediatrician/Healthcare Executive and the first in North America with double fellowship training in both Clinical (ACGME-Accredited) and Biomedical Informatics (NIH-funded). He served as a member of the executive committee of the Council for Clinical Information Technology (COCiT) section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. As an Executive Physician leader, he focuses on the transformation of healthcare delivery by translating Clinical Informatics, Digital Medicine & Enterprise Data, and Analytics assets into measurable value for consumers and clinical providers, strategic planning, and budgetary and operational oversight. He has extensive experience in Healthcare IT and assisted in various lean-based system workflow designs and implementations. His current line of work is clinical workflow analysis, implementation of EMR and telemedicine technology across the enterprise, and the county to increase access to care, designing mobile healthcare applications, optimizing EHR performance, and ensuring clinical workflows are respected by IT solutions. He is interested in lean management in healthcare, improving healthcare value, quality, and safety; as well as increasing access to care in underserved areas.

 Creating a Culture of Excellence: The Role of Physician Leadership in Healthcare.

As a Chief Medical Information Officer, I understand the importance of creating a culture of excellence in healthcare. In today's rapidly changing healthcare environment, it is essential to have a team that is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.

Here are a few ways that physician leadership can help create a culture of excellence:

1. Lead by Example: Physician leaders can set the tone for the entire team by demonstrating a commitment to excellence in their own work. By showing dedication to continuous learning, embracing new technology and workflows, and prioritizing patient-centered care, physician leaders can inspire their team members to do the same.
2. Foster Collaboration: Healthcare is a team effort, and fostering a collaborative culture can help ensure that everyone is working together towards a common goal. Physician leaders can facilitate collaboration by encouraging communication, providing opportunities for teamwork, and recognizing and valuing the contributions of each team member.
3. Embrace a Continuous Improvement Mindset: To create a culture of excellence, it is important to continuously evaluate and improve processes and workflows. Physician leaders can encourage their team members to identify areas for improvement and provide support and resources to help them make meaningful changes.
4. Prioritize Patient-Centered Care: At the heart of any culture of excellence is a focus on the patient. Physician leaders can help their team members prioritize patient-centered care by setting expectations, providing resources and training, and recognizing and rewarding excellent patient care.
5. Value and Support Team Members: Creating a culture of excellence also requires valuing and supporting each team member. Physician leaders can show their support by providing opportunities for professional development, recognizing and rewarding excellent work, and fostering a positive and supportive work environment.

As a physician informatician leader, I am committed to creating a culture of excellence in healthcare. By leading by example, fostering collaboration, embracing a continuous improvement mindset, prioritizing patient-centered care, and valuing and supporting team members, we can work together to provide the best possible patient care.

R. Ryan Sadeghian, MD — Strategic Health Technology Leader

A healthcare executive with a history of leadership in the field of healthcare technology, R. Ryan Sadeghian, MD, has more than 10 years of experience in areas such as telemedicine systems, patient-care enhancement, and electronic medical record optimization. Over the course of his career, Dr. R. Ryan Sadeghian has led numerous health information technology (HIT) and enterprise clinical informatics operations. He has launched technology programs that have advanced business strategy, driven innovation, and engaged providers, staff, and physician executives.

Since 2019, Dr. Sadeghian has held multiple roles with Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in Colton, County of San Bernardino, California. The hospital’s CEO and board of supervisors appointed him as the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO). He is also a practicing pediatrician for ARMC. As CMIO, Dr. Sadeghian handled health information technology financial management and strategic planning, among other duties. He fostered an environment of valuing information resources and assets, and his accomplishments included supporting health IT and re-engineering projects through the development of action-oriented, multidisciplinary teams.