1. Patricia E. Molina, MD, PhD
Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism
The American Physiological Society
Demonstrating Leadership and Management in Practice: Examples of Success and Errors
Patricia E. Molina, MD, PhD
Professor & Department Chair
Louisiana State University Health Science Center
Presented on April 5, 2016
At EB 2016
San Diego, CA April 2016

2. The American Physiological Society
This presentation is part of
2016 Career Symposium on
Leadership and Management Skills:
What You Might Not See in Your CV
Organized by the APS Career Opportunities in Physiology Committee
For more information and to listen to other presentations:
the-aps.org/leadership
© 2016 The American Physiological Society
Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (

3. Expectations We would want you to share your “a ha moment”
When you realized that you possessed everything needed to be a leader
We would want to know the things you did to embrace and step into that leadership role
Our vision for your talk is more of a personal narrative

4. Leadership vs. Management
Managers
Organize & direct to achieve a task
Maintain status quo
Leaders
Set goals & direction
Motivate team to reach new goals
Challenge the status quo

5. My path Manager to Leader
Post-doctoral fellow (instructor) Vanderbilt
Surgical research
Surgeon PI (limited time, unlimited resources)
Autonomy to manage research associates, students, post-docs
My path Manager to Leader
Leader
When an individual chooses to be the one in charge

6. When did you know you wanted to lead? What was the “aha!” moment?

7. Defining yourself as a leader
How do you lead?

8. Leaders transform people
This is what you are now
That is what you could be!!

9. Examples of successes and errors challenges
Personal perspective
May not match that of those who work with me!

10. Good (successful) leadership improves workplace culture
Visionary
Set goals & find ways to focus resources to achieve them
Effective Communication Skills
Delegate & build teams
Motivate, guide, encourage, & correct
Anticipate change & challenges
Manage time & stress

11. Successes
Developed an optimistic & positive vision of our Department’s direction
Resources reallocated & leveraged, maximized efficiencies, attitude adjustments
Instilled a team approach
Set goals and expectations
Communicated desire, anticipation, and expectation of active contribution to our mission
Pursue EXCELLENCE in all we do
Delegated & built teams
Delegated responsibilities
Encouraged working out of comfort zone
Feedback & positive reinforcement
Empowered students & faculty to achieve success
Recognize need for work-life balance
Social activities in and out of the workplace

12. Optimistic & positive vision of our Department’s direction
PHASE I
SELF-EVALUATION & REORGANIZATION
Redefinition of individual roles
Development & commitment to coherent vision
PHASE II
GROWTH
Recruitment faculty & trainees
Mentoring & development of junior faculty & trainees
Maximize faculty, trainee, and staff talents & strengths
EXCELLENCE
Productivity, growth & expansion
Top 10 Physiology Departments
Teaching
Research
Extramural representation
NIH, AHA, study sections
Society leadership
Scientific conferences
PHASE III

13. Established new expectations and goals

14. Communicated desire, anticipation, and expectation of active contribution to our mission
Do they know what the job and expectation is?
Sometimes clear definitions are needed
Is the person capable of doing a good job?
Assuming selection/hiring process is effective
Are there barriers interfering with the desire or ability to perform?
Personal issues, fit with the team, skills & resources

15. Surprising Revelations
Expectations need to be explicitly stated
Tenure ≠ cruising
Dormant drive to achieve
Showing up is not enough
Productivity & accountability
I’m done with “my experiment”
You are part of a team!
Diversity of barriers
Health
Family
Learned patterns of behavior

16. Delegated & built teams
Empower trainees & faculty to succeed
Trust that you are not the only one that can do things right
Be patient, not everyone works at the same speed
Be accepting of different styles
Be prepared for results that may not match yours 100%

17. Motivated & encouraged
Encouraged working out of comfort zone
Find ways to build confidence and trust
Motivate to reach for higher goals
Facilitate taking new risks
Feedback & positive reinforcement
Take time to analyze performance
Express satisfaction
Give praise when warranted
Provide constructive criticism

18. Life-work balance Time & stress management

19. Common leadership mistakes
1. Not Providing Feedback
2. Not Making Time for Your Team
3. Being Too "Hands-Off"
4. Being Too Friendly
5. Failing to Define Goals
6. Misunderstanding Motivation
7. Hurrying Recruitment
8. Not "Walking the Walk"
9. Not Delegating
10. Misunderstanding Your Role
1. Speaking When You Should Listen
2. Failing to Delegate
3. Focusing on Friendship
4. Making Promises You Can’t Keep
5. Maintaining the Status Quo
6. Being Afraid to Punish Misdeeds
7. Waiting and Seeing
8. Failing to Define Success
9. Withholding Bad News
10. Working in Isolation

20. Examples of errors challenges
Avoiding difficult people (easier than dealing with them)
Staff, Faculty & Trainees
Options & their impact on engagement
Ignore
45% disengagement
Criticize
45% decreases to 20%
Recognize strengths
Disengagement drops to <1%

21. Examples of errors challenges
Waiting and hoping
That individual will recognize they are not fulfilling expectations

22. Self awareness
OOPS!
Did I just
roll my eyes
out loud??

23. What do you do to move in that direction?
How can you be a leader at the trainee level?

24. Faith, courage, enthusiasm & hard work
Discipline, reliability, networks, commitment
Difficult, challenging, but not impossible!
Know that it can be done….
Want to do it and succeed!

25. Opportunities are like a merry go round! You have to be ready to jump!

26. Once you decide, seek guidance!

27. Sometimes it can feel like a daunting task!

28. Worth every drop of sweat!

29. Acknowledgements LSUHSC Jefferson Parish Medical Society
Support for AAMC Leadership Workshop for Department Heads
Jefferson Parish Medical Society
Support for “Soul of Leadership Workshop”
National Hispanic Science Network
Faculty, Trainees & Staff LSUHSC Physiology
Daily challenging my skills
Leadership, staff, & membership of APS

30. Looking back…………

31. Patricia E. Molina, MD, PhD pmolin@lsuhsc.edu
The American Physiological Society
Patricia E. Molina, MD, PhD
Patricia E. Molina, MD, PhD, is the Richard Ashman Professor and Head of Physiology, and Director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans’ School of Medicine. Dr. Molina completed her medical training at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala, Central America and earned her PhD in Physiology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans Center. Currently, she is the President of the American Physiological Society, and member of NIAAA Council. Research in her laboratory focuses on the interaction between chronic alcohol use and the neuroimmune and metabolic pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to progression of HIV disease. As well as the neurobehavioral consequences of traumatic brain injury and their role in escalation of alcohol drinking.

32. For more information, to listen to other presentations,
The American Physiological Society
For more information, to listen to other presentations,
and for the PowerPoints with active links
and/or other resources
the-aps.org/leadership
For further information, contact APS Education Office