Physicians are stepping into leadership roles at their practice and hospital departments, but the qualities that make a great surgeon don't necessarily make an excellent leader.
Some of the best physicians fail in leadership roles, according to Forbes.
The valuable traits of leaders associated with success include intelligence, charisma and communication; negative traits include characteristics that override others with the positive skills.
Here are five derailing qualities outlined in the report:
1. Leaders who put themselves above others, avoid hard work or take advantage of their position.
2. Individuals who discount the people with lower status while "managing up," such as volunteering to participating in senior leadership meetings but declining to support junior colleagues.
3. When leaders are unable to set priorities and separate critical chores from trivial ones, they're more likely to feel overwhelmed and fail with their teams. Leadership success is defined by deciding the right opportunities to pursue instead of working hard without accomplishing much.
4. Surgeons spend their clinical careers as knowledgeable experts, but taking on leadership roles they have limited experience or expertise in confronting new tasks. Some leaders become unable to make decisions and squander opportunities because they are overwhelmed.
5. Leaders who are afraid of difficult or unpopular decisions won't succeed. Physician leaders need the time, information and courage to make the right decision for the organization.