I’ll bet you’ve found yourself facing a difficult situation in your practice where you knew what you needed from your physicians, but then you thought, “Who am I to tell a physician what to do?“
It’s a fair question. I mean, I was taught from a young age that the person wearing the white coat was in charge.
But after nearly 20 years of working with medical practice leaders, I’ve learned that the ones who can get comfortable “telling physicians what to do” (just as they would “tell” any other member of their team) are the ones who are most effective. Everyone else is basically crossing their fingers and hoping things work out.
Physicians, just like everyone else on your team, deserve to know:
- What they’re expected to do (and not do)
- How much they’re expected to work
- What success looks like
- What support they’ll have along the way
- And so on
Let’s be clear here: I’m not suggesting that you tell your physicians how to practice medicine. I’m not asking you to micromanage them either. I’m just asking you to be clear about what the practice expects from them. Starting at recruitment and regularly thereafter.
You’re not crossing the line when you set clear expectations for your physicians. You’re empowering them. You’re creating fairness. Clarity isn’t demeaning. And it will lead to reduced burnout, stronger patient access, and improved bottom lines.
This week, choose one aspect of your practice—maybe clinic templates, inbox work, or documentation—and ask yourself:
Have we clearly defined what’s expected here? Are the physicians on the same page as us? Are we supporting our physicians in meeting that standard? Would the physicians agree if we asked them?
If the answer to any of those questions is “no”, there’s room to improve. You don’t have to start from scratch to start seeing better results. You just need to put the right support in the right places.
