Dr. Louis B. Rice | University Medicine Foundation CEO, president and physician-in-chief
Leading a group of physicians is a complex endeavor that requires honesty and engagement. I have held management positions in academic medical groups since 1996. During that time, I have developed some principles that I try my best to live by:
• Always hire people who are smarter and more creative than you.
• Give away as much credit as possible. The people you acknowledge will feel appreciated, which makes them happier in their work.
• Honesty is a bedrock principle of being a physician. They expect the same from management and will quickly lose faith if they perceive they are being deceived.
• When it comes down to doing what is right for patients, there can be no room for compromise. Of course, there are different paths to the same end and resources are limited, so it is always important to keep an open mind.
• I learn a lot more by listening than by talking, especially by listening to people who disagree with me. CEOs who surround themselves with a cocoon of like-minded people do their enterprise a tremendous disservice, and will ultimately fail the people they are supposed to support.
• Management is a service job. All org charts should be upside-down pyramids. My job is to facilitate the success of those with whom I work. If I don’t do that, then I am nothing more than overhead and should be eliminated for the good of the organization.