The relationship between the medical director and the executive director: guidelines for success

The positional leadership of mental health care organizations commonly is in the hands of an executive director who has had administrative experience, but who may or may not have had clinical experience. The medical director of the mental health organization is a psychiatrist who reports to the executive director despite their different backgrounds and areas of expertise. The relationship between these two leaders is the responsibility of both, and is crucial to the success of the organization. This paper is concerned specifically with approaches that can be taken by the medical director to foster a successful working alignment with the executive director. The situation has some similarities (and significant differences) with that described by Gabarro and Kotter in "Managing Your Boss" (1993). A series of guidelines to enhance the potential success of the medical director in this supervisor/supervisee relationship is presented.