The Value of Physician Leaders to Nonphysician Coworkers

With few exceptions, physician leaders are perceived as valuable to their organizations, helping to define goals, set priorities, and plan future direction. In some cases, however, physician leaders are misunderstood or devalued by senior business leaders. There could be several reasons for this observation: (1) the roles and responsibilities of physician leaders may be unclear to business leaders; (2) nonmedical leaders may question the business relevance of the activities performed by physician leaders; and (3) some business executives may believe (erroneously) that the activities performed by physician leaders are nonessential, or could be performed equally well by lesser trained healthcare professionals. Under such circumstances, physicians may become demoralized and indignant, but they should never lose sight of their importance to the everyday coworkers who are the most valuable asset of any organization.