The WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is leading the national conversation about leadership training in academic medicine.
Craig Fischer, senior director of organizational leadership and development at the college, recently shared his expertise with medical education leaders from across the country as a faculty member for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) CORE Leadership Development Program.
Fischer was one of only three faculty members invited to co-design and deliver the Elevate Your Potential program, which focuses on skill building for early career leaders. He served as a subject matter expert and facilitator for areas including influencing organizational culture, building social capital, and establishing credibility and professional presence, helping participants navigate complex leadership challenges within their institutions.
“One of the biggest ‘ahas’ for people was realizing that many of their challenges—whether cultural, budgetary, or personal, like imposter syndrome—were shared by others,” Fischer said. “Another was that leadership is a practice. We can consider it a daily, weekly, and lifelong endeavor rather than something some people ‘have’ and others don’t.”
The experience reinforced Fischer’s belief in the importance of formal leadership training. Many great leaders have learned by doing, but we can do a lot to accelerate a leader’s positive impact in organizations, he noted.
“These leaders were hungry for tools, frameworks, and insights they could use at their home institutions to solve problems and improve their workplaces,” Fischer said. “The WSU College of Medicine is ahead of most schools in our understanding of this, and of course, we have a lot of room to grow and improve.”
Fischer plans to bring insights from the program back to his work at the College of Medicine’s Office of Organizational and Leadership Development. The office supports the college’s goal of becoming an employer of choice by developing faculty and staff leadership capacity, teamwork, communication, and career growth, empowering leaders at every level.