The WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is leading the national conversation about leadership training in academic medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the biggest \u2018ahas\u2019 for people was realizing that many of their challenges\u2014whether cultural, budgetary, or personal, like imposter syndrome\u2014were shared by others,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cAnother was that leadership is a practice. We can consider it a daily, weekly, and lifelong endeavor rather than something some people \u2018have\u2019 and others don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The experience reinforced Fischer\u2019s 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\u2019s positive impact in organizations, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese leaders were hungry for tools, frameworks, and insights they could use at their home institutions to solve problems and improve their workplaces,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n