Investment banker J.P. Morgan, who was a dominate figure on Wall Street before the Great Depression, once said: “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see farther.”
Ray Kroc, who purchased McDonald’s in the 1960s and was its first CEO, said: “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”
Both of these insights speak to qualities a leader requires; the vision to set goals and picture outcomes and the integrity and ideals that he or she ascribes to.
Some people in leadership are just naturally gifted that way and others find a mentor who has achieved success in this role. Others take formal coursework and earn degrees that are the basis for advancement into manager positions.
There is not one profession that could exist without leaders. HTM is no exception.
Somebody has to take ownership of the projects that the C-suite assigns to them, and somebody has to manage the day-to-day goals, assignments and responsibilities that influence the direction and accomplishments of the team.
While not all members of the HTM profession aspire to enter management or senior leadership, others have a roadmap in mind with leadership as a career goal. To aid in charting that roadmap, this article includes insights from leaders regarding what they have learned and how they entered their roles.
If you are one of those biomeds who aspires to leadership, read on and benefit from the insights of several HTM leaders.
“Leadership is a gift to be treasured. It’s an honor and a responsibility that should be held in high regard. Cherish this role, as it is bestowed upon you not just as a position, but as a testament to your capabilities and trustworthiness,” says Bryant Hawkins Sr., site manager for TRIMEDX at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans.
He says that it’s a privilege that demands the right mindset and approach. Handle it with care, integrity, and respect, for it can be short-lived if not handled with the right values and dedication.
Qualities of Leadership
Leadership qualities are not learned all at once or taught in totality in a classroom. Many leaders, including those in HTM, have gleaned lessons over many years in their positions. They have taken lessons from those who have gone before them and learned many others firsthand.
“Leadership to me has taught me that it is not about you personally, but your team that you lead. There is a bigger picture to embrace in technology management of medical devices. By embracing your team’s skills, and getting your teams trained, is critical to garner the trust you need as a leader into your team. Being engaged with your team to understand the challenges they face. A good leader understands the business you’re in. They know when to make difficult choices to make operations streamlined,” says Adam Shannon, technology management senior manager at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center in Arizona.
Jim Fedele, CBET, senior program director of clinical engineering, BioTronics, North Central and Central Regions for UPMC in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, says he is still learning. He says that as he works with a new generation of employees, he has had to learn to do things differently.
“That being said, the basics still apply; listen with purpose and over communicate. I feel like over communicating builds trust; I have experienced with both customers and employees,” Fedele says.
He says that he recalls one situation with an OR director; a crucial sterilizer was down and he was giving status constantly as HTM was troubleshooting the problem.
“We were stuck and I tried something that made it worse, but the director was fine because she knew we’re trying our best to fix the unit. We ended up getting all the parts the next day and getting it back in service,” Fedele says.
“The second important lesson I have learned is nothing lasts forever; good and bad. I think about great technicians I have hired that have left for other opportunities. Conversely, I remember all the spoiled physicians and demanding/mean managers that are no longer around. It doesn’t feel great when you are in the middle of those situations, but as I look back now, they were just blips on the screen of my career,” Fedele adds.
The good qualities that a manager might seek in a technician need to be modeled by the leader.
“Transparency, availability and communication with team is vital. Building a culture of ownership, by being transparent, holding the team accountable by applauding wins and lessons learned and ownership starts with me,” says Monica Garcia, CBET, director of healthcare technology management at the South Texas Health System.
On the other hand, there may be a skill set that an HTM leader requires that is very different than that of a good technician.
“Skills that make a great technician are not necessarily ones that make a great leader. Skills like financial acumen, coaching and developing others, leading change, using influence, and delegation/empowerment are all new skills that leaders have to be willing to learn and practice,” says Samantha Jacques, Ph.D., FACHE, AAMIF, vice president of McLaren Clinical Engineering Services (MCES) at McLaren Health Care in Michigan.
She says that technical leaders may not have been exposed to those skills as part of their background and training.
“Being open to developing new skills means being bad at them while you’re learning. Asking for help developing and growing these skills is hard to do, especially because as adults, it’s hard to start over and learn something entirely new. Being a good leader means being willing to continue to learn new skills and grow existing skills you have,” Jacques says.
In addition to the unique skills required of leadership, it also helps to be a good communicator, providing enriching and positive feedback and understand that your messaging has an impact.
“A key thing I have learned as a leader is the importance of Stephen Covey’s fifth habit, ‘Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.’ Gaining a reasonably clear understanding about a situation or someone else’s viewpoint before providing guidance or feedback goes a long way towards effectively communicating,” says Jim Arnold, director, east region, biomedical engineering at Piedmont Healthcare in East Point, Georgia.
He says that it is important to explain the “why.”
“It is typically much easier to gain buy-in if you help folks understand why a certain decision has been made. They may not always like the decision, but understanding the ‘why’ behind it helps people grow and see things from a broader perspective,” Arnold says.
He says that it is also important to acknowledge successes often.
“In business, we spend a lot of time trying to fix broken processes and undesired behaviors. As a result, it is easy to find ourselves spending most of our time focusing on things that are ‘corrective’ in nature. On the flipside, we end up spending too little time recognizing and acknowledging positive behaviors and outcomes. If employees are hearing positive feedback as often or more often than corrective feedback, they are more likely to perceive a leader’s communications as balanced. As a result, they are generally more open to seeing corrective feedback as constructive as long as it is delivered in such a manner,” Arnold says.
Garcia suggests that you know the “why” you are doing something, ensure the highest standards and best practices in medical device safety.
“This will develop awareness of regulatory compliance processes,” she says.
A Path to Leadership
If there was a clearly articulated roadmap for the technician who wants to enter leadership, it would include formal training that covered many of the skills listed above; skills which are different than those required for medical device calibration, repair and maintenance.
Shannon says that one good starting point is to take leadership courses.
“Many health care facilities offer Shared Leadership and other opportunities for team members to engage in leader activities. Engage in activities in your community. Be an engaged team member to show your direction is leader focused. Take on team members who may need guidance and teach and work with them for their success. Be a resident expert on your business. Show team members all aspects of service line so that they are versed in the work,” he says.
“Technicians can start by growing leadership skills that overlap their day-to-day jobs. Skills such as communication, being customer focused and driving execution are all good basic skills leaders should have,” Jacques says.
She says that working with your management to then take on more responsibility, such as leading a project, can also help expose technicians to skills for managing people.
“Technicians can also take courses in leadership from local colleges or associations such as the American College of Healthcare Executives. There are also a myriad of good leadership books available to help one independently grow leadership skills,” Jacques adds.
Hawkins says that as you progress, take on roles with increasing responsibility.
“Look for opportunities to lead projects or teams. Participate in leadership development programs or workshops. Learn about strategic planning, team management, budgeting and decision-making. Join professional associations such as the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) or your local HTM Association. Attend industry conferences like AAMI eXchange or MD Expo, workshops and seminars to stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies in health care,” he suggests.
“My first advice would be to act like a leader. Leadership does not always require a title of a leader,” Arnold says.
He says to then let your manager and those above the manager know of your interest to grow into a leadership role.
“Find someone who will agree to be your mentor. Bring potential solutions to your leader when challenges arise to develop and demonstrate your critical thinking skills,” he says.
Arnolds says to also learn what formal education is required to meet the requirements of the role you are seeking and pursue that education.
Jacques agrees that informing existing leadership of your goals is important.
“Discuss your desire to learn more about leadership with your direct supervisor and department leader. They can help identify opportunities for you to grow your career and take steps to help develop your skills,” she says.
Jacques suggests that individuals get a mentor and work with them on growing a specific skill they want to work on. This mentor should not be a direct manager, as they will want someone impartial to help them identify strengths and weaknesses and help them work on improving.
Intentional or Not: Experience is the Guide
Good leaders can recall humbly the lessons they learned through direct experience early on their road to becoming managers.
Fedele, who has been in leadership since the mid-1990s, recalls a time when he unilaterally made an executive decision that didn’t go over well. It happened when he was promoted from lead tech to supervisor of the department.
“I was excited to remove all the barriers that my coworkers and I complained everyday about. One item in particular was visiting every department daily and signing a ‘biomed book.’ It was a little bit of a pain because the departments would often move the books or throw them away,” he says.
Fedele remembers that everybody complained about how frustrating it was to waste the time.
“Like a president the first day in office I decreed ‘we no longer needed to sign the book.’ My technician ‘friends’ threw me under the bus to the director in a minute, claiming I was setting them up to get in trouble with Joint Commission. The betrayal I felt stung for a while; I wasn’t prepared for the change in relationship status between me and the techs. However, this was a really good lesson, I learned that I needed to be sure to communicate and get input before making changes,” he adds.
The road to leadership may not always be intentional or planned.
“My path to leadership was unexpected. I was training my replacement as I was going to take on more of a field service role. During my training of a team member and walkthrough of the facility, my supervisor was let go. When I came back to the shop, I was informed that I would take on the interim leader role,” Shannon remembers.
He says that after being in that position for several years, he was made the permanent leader for the site.
“Now I am in my 24th year at this facility as the technology management senior manager. Seventeen of those years were as a leader. Now, I am committed to my team members and cannot appreciate them enough for their dedication and [the] hard work they provide under my guidance. Although it was not what I had intended, it ended up being one of the best overall outcomes for this facility and my team,” Shannon says.
Finally, when first applying for a leadership position, it may not work out right away.
“Stay positive even if you apply and interview, but don’t land a desired role. Avoid feeling sorry for yourself and just keep moving forward. I like to use young children as an analogy. How often do you see an infant fall down while learning to walk? Are those falls failures or are they incremental steps of growth? It’s all in how you choose to look at it,” Arnold says.
Hawkins says that when people choose to follow you, not out of obligation, but out of respect and admiration, that’s when you know you’ve become not just a leader, but a source of inspiration and change.