MGMA 2022: The difference between a leader and a manager

Slideshow

A medical practice needs to have both leaders and managers.

When directing a medical practice or medical group, too often one falls into simply managing instead of leading.

As part of a session titled, “Creating a data-driven, high-performance culture” Karl E. Sundberg, FACHE, CMPE, CEO of Catalyst Medical Group in Idaho said that when a practice or medical group is going through a transformational cultural change.

“As leaders, we need to check ourselves when we start to drive change,” he said. “What mode are we in?”

He identifies managing as a more short-term day-to-day mode of leading a practice, but still highlighted the necessity of managing.

“We have to mind the little things,” Sundberg said. “But when you want to be that driving force for change and start to create a culture where everyone in your organization is behind that, we have to be in leader mode.”

The session came during the Medical Group Management Association’s Medical Practice Excellence Leaders Conference in Boston.

Newsletter

Optimize your practice with the Physicians Practice newsletter, offering management pearls, leadership tips, and business strategies tailored for practice administrators and physicians of any specialty.

Recent Videos
P2 Management Minute: Keeping practice staff happy
P2 Management Minute: Improving patient satisfaction
P2 Management Minute: Measuring practice staff performance
P2 Management Minute: Making your practice welcoming to patients
P2 Management Minute: Reducing malpractice risk
P2 Management Minute: Summer staffing shortages
Tips for controlling overhead costs
What is P2 Management Minute?
P2 Management Minute: Reducing patient wait times
P2 Management Minute: Boosting practice staff morale
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.