Special Report: The leadership skills transforming health care today, with Kate Atchley of the Haslam College of Business

Sponsored by Haslam College of Business

Many organizations put someone in a leadership role, see how they do and send them to training only once something isn't working, according to Kate Atchley, Ph.D., professor of practice at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Megan Manzano, senior custom content specialist at Physicians Practice, sat down with Atchley, who directs Haslam's Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Leadership and Physician Executive MBA programs.

Atchley says organizations get better results by spotting people with leadership potential early and giving them gradually harder assignments and exposure to different parts of the organization, so they're ready when they step into the role. She also describes the trade-offs leaders face between two valid priorities, such as clinician autonomy and standardization or patient access and clinician workload, and the five skills she sees as essential: systems thinking, business fluency, leading through influence, change leadership and curiosity.

For physicians who want a bigger voice in how their organizations are run, her advice is to "get out of your lane" and spend time with nurses, finance, IT and other teams to learn how the organization works.

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Music Credits:

Cup of Coffee by Ionics - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

0:00 – 1:19 | Introduction Austin Littrell introduces the special report and the guest.

1:19 – 2:21 | Meet Kate Atchley, Ph.D. Megan Manzano welcomes Atchley and lays out the pressures facing health care leaders, from reimbursement to workforce shortages.

2:21 – 3:25 | What's changed in a decade Atchley says health care's problems are now so interconnected that leaders can't pull one lever without moving three or four others.

3:25 – 5:07 | Why clinical expertise isn't enough Expertise in one domain is necessary but not sufficient for leading across many.

5:07 – 6:58 | Choosing between two valid priorities Clinician autonomy vs. standardization, and patient access vs. clinician workload.

6:58 – 10:23 | Five skills physician leaders need Systems thinking, business fluency, leading through influence, change leadership and curiosity.

10:23 – 11:49 | Building a leadership pipeline Spotting potential leaders early and giving them gradually harder assignments before they step into the role.

11:49 – 14:01 | Get out of your lane Atchley's advice for emerging leaders: learn enough finance, operations and strategy to understand the trade-offs.

14:01 – End | Closing thoughts and outro Manzano thanks Atchley, and Littrell wraps the episode.