Opportunities? Barriers? It's Up to You. (Career Rx).

IN THIS COLUMN...

This career advice column is usually directed toward those in transition -- physician executives who are actively pursuing job opportunities or preparing to do so. But most of your career is actually spent in a position and on the job. So it seems appropriate to Focus on the great majority of physician executives who are not currently in the job market. Take a look at opportunities to learn and grow in your present position.

For every physician executive in a health care organization, days are filled with learning opportunities.

But what I see as opportunities can be viewed by others as barriers to growth and development. I hear about these "barriers" when physician executives enter the job market and tell me what they didn't learn or achieve in their previous jobs.

While every position has restrictions, physician executives generally have much more freedom to learn and develop than they ever exercise. Physician executives are dedicated, career-conscious professionals. So why are they missing out on these valuable learning experiences?

It's usually a matter of perspective.

From my vantage point as a consultant, an abundance of unexplored and unexplored growth opportunities exist in everyone's current job. Here are a few examples of barriers that can become opportunities, with just a little attitude adjustment:

How thin is your skin?

Some physician executives can't tolerate criticism, even the constructive kind. Others personalize a simple, objective comment, turning a suggestion for improvement into an attack on their professional and personal lives. I often hear physician executives say that their critics have the problem, not them. Even when criticism is unfair, there is usually a grain of truth. If you fail to seek it out, a chance to learn will have passed.

Any criticism should be taken seriously and addressed with humility and patience. Self-improvement, not self-protection, should be the goal. How do you react when a question is raised about something you've done? Could you do better?

Does feedback require you to take action?

It's remarkable how often physician executives who are struggling at their jobs will casually mention that they had feedback about a problem before -- sometimes, several times before. Apparently, they make no connection between a superior saying "fix this" and the need for them to take remedial action. Listening to constructive criticism is not enough; it has to be internalized and acted on.

Do you use feedback to identify areas for growth? Or do you have a to-do list of personal and professional projects that never seem to get done?

Do you learn effectively from colleagues?

Most physician executives make genuine, successful efforts to befriend their non-physician colleagues through professional and social interactions. Not as many seem to recognize or take advantage of the rich learning opportunities -- both technical and stylistic -- that executive colleagues can provide.

No seminar or class will ever be able to offer the kind of real-world education that can be obtained through hands-on experiences in your own organization -- in finance, say, or strategic planning or other hard-to-acquire skills. Physician executives in senior management work with some of the best and brightest professionals in the health care business. Yet, some fail to make the most of this.

I find that physician executives who are mentored by non-physicians are better general health care executives who prove to be more successful and resilient in their careers. They have a strength that others lack. Have you ever asked for mentoring from a friend and colleague? Would you turn down anyone who asked you for help?

Are your qualifications as good as you think?

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright said he preferred honest arrogance to false humility. I have to agree with that, except when the gap between reality and one's vision is too big. It's my experience that many physician executives boast an unrealistic perspective of their own qualifications for advancement -- often by as much as one or two executive levels.

They overestimate the depth and value of their own experience and underestimate the difficulty of more senior executive roles, such as COO or CEO. They think they are ready because they want to be ready.

An opportunity can be found by setting short-term sights a little lower. Those who do are more likely to experience faster promotion than those who aim only for the top positions, regardless of their preparation or skills development.

Don't confuse sitting on a committee with sufficient preparation for understanding credentialing and other key issues. Don't assume that running a clinical practice is tantamount to being a senior executive. Inventory your professional strengths and weaknesses with great precision and care.

Do you know what you're worth?

Some physician executives have unrealistic ideas of what they are worth in the marketplace. Long-time executives who may be paid at the top of the scale in their current organizations are sometimes unhappily surprised when they test the waters and consider other posts.

They want a certain lifestyle or they decide their status demands a certain compensation level. As a result, they can miss out on excellent opportunities by allowing decisions to be driven by economics alone.

I dealt with one person who was the candidate of choice for a great job that he wanted to take. But he wouldn't budge from an unrealistic salary demand. So the organization went after another candidate.

Keep in mind that health care organizations are paying executives in accord with salary surveys because federal regulators are paying close attention, too.

Once, it was not unusual to match what someone could make in private practice. But new standards are far less forgiving. Market value is much more accepted and consistent. It's a key factor that enables health care organizations to retain their not-for-profit status.

Your career choices

Your career is built one day at a time, one learning choice at a time.

When you take a fresh look at your current position as a physician executive, perhaps you'll discover the broad range of opportunities to expand and enhance your executive experience and skills.

You could set annual learning goals by identifying knowledge or skills to absorb from experience and colleagues. Where do your peers excel? Figure out how to learn that skill.

This approach is at least as useful as a management degree -- sometimes more so. Carpe diem and enjoy the stimulation and learning that await you.