Over the many years that I have been involved in academic medicine, I have held a variety of leadership positions involving 3 coronary care units, a division of cardiovascular medicine, and a department of medicine. During this time period, a number of colleagues have asked me for my thoughts on the qualities that foster excellence in leadership. This editorial is a short summary of the advice that I gave at that time.1
There are as many styles of leadership as there are leaders. Some leaders prefer the “top-down” style of leadership involving strict hierarchical and authoritarian control. This style of leadership was common in the past but is rapidly fading away. Today, most leaders espouse a more democratic, inclusive style. I, too, favor this leadership style, which usually involves an executive committee that shares decision-making power with the head of the department.
I also prefer the “General Patton” style of leadership. This form of leadership involves the head of the enterprise in the day-to-day, hands-on running of the unit. In a clinical enterprise, this means that the leader shares in the daily clinical workload. The advantage of this style is that the leader is visible, approachable, and intimately involved in the daily running of the enterprise.
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— Joseph S. Alpert, MD
Editor-in-Chief, The American Journal of Medicine
This article originally appeared in the December 2010 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
