Conquer job overload

How can you handle job overload? Think intensively about what you're doing. One of the least recognized facts is that jobs expand, even when managers are actively bent on reducing workloads. Prioritizing tasks--on paper--can help eliminate tasks that clog your day and are enemies of productivity, things that someone else could--and should--be doing. Until you see, in writing, how you spend your time how can you change?     

The three R's of writing: reading, "riting," and risking

The mere thought of writing an article can be intimidating. But, even if you have the desire, despite the fear, to write an article, how do you get started? How can you produce satisfying work? Is there a way to begin writing, get your ideas down, and save judgments and editing for alter? Here are some steps--Reading, "Riting," and Risking--to help you write that article you've been thinking about. By separating the process into two stages, creativity or freewriting, and then criticism or editing, you'll find writing much easier.     

Business Ethics through Meditation: The Ethical ‘I,’ the Ethical ‘You,’ the Ethical ‘We’⋆

Environmentalists have been criticizing the ethics of business people concerning the natural environment. Citing Thomas Berry as an example, this paper attempts to bring his three abstract values (presence, subjectivity, and communion) closer to the understanding of the average business person through meditation. The introduction describes business ethics in terms of relationships to the individual, or the ethical ‘I’ to the natural environment, or the ethical ‘You’ and to interpersonal relationships, or the ethical ‘We.’ Meditation is also defined, according to Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1986), as a meditative experience together with a period of reflection and small-group discussion. More specifically, meditation takes on three forms. Part one describes nondiscursive meditation in the context of what Berry means by presence. The problem addressed here is how to meet and cultivate the ethical ‘I.’ Part two will deal with semidiscursive meditation in the context of what Berry means by subjectivity, or the ethical ‘I’ in relation to the earth. The earth then becomes the ethical ‘You.’ Part three will deal with Berry's definition of communion, or the ethical ‘We.’ The practice of discursive meditation gradually leads to what Thomas Berry calls a renewed ‘visionary experience.’ The article concludes with a redefinition of business ethics in terms of our relationships to ourselves, as human persons, to the earth as our living environment, and to each other as members of the human community. The redefinition of our relationships through meditation is ‘visionary,’ or a new ‘paradigm,’ that, hopefully, will lead to the renewed ethical practice that other environmentalists are also advocating, for example, Arnold Berleant. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Marketing and the medical specialist in the managed care environment

Marketing means more than just communicating or advertising to potential patients; marketing means identifying your customers and working to meet or exceed their expectations. There are five key areas of a marketing plan: (1) Establish the foundation, beginning with your mission statement; (2) Assess your marketing environment by internal and external research; (3) Target your efforts, looking at image and perception; (4) Develop your particular mix of product, price, place of distribution, and promotion; and (5) implement and evaluate your marketing process. This article discusses the importance of a marketing plan for the medical specialist and highlights the features unique to a practice working in a system of capitated reimbursement. Applying these principles will help to demonstrate added value, protect the fundamental role of the patient-physician relationship, ensure that our efforts are aligned with professional missions and goals, and ultimately increase profitability and professional success.     

Welcome everything

The failure of management is largely a failure to bring our whole selves to it. What parts of your self do you bring to your work? Do you bring only the management mind, only logic, only the company guidelines? Or do you bring your passions, your values, your soul, your deepest self? Do you react? Or do you respond? Letting go of what you think you know can be the first step to a creative and powerful response. Many of the tools we use in management can actually remove us from the experience and make it harder to respond. Reacting closes down options. Responding opens up possibilities and nurtures trust. This is kindness transformed into a business imperative--responsiveness.     

On Property and Exploitation

The authors contend that what can legitimately be owned in a free society is only rights to physical property, not to the value thereof. You are thus free to undermine the value of our property by underselling us, by inventing a new substitute for our property, etc. But you cannot legitimately physically agress against our property, even if its value remains constant despite your efforts. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ein Forschungsleistungsranking auf der Grundlage von Google Scholar

Regarding the evaluation of academic research performance, the currently predominant method of judging an individual paper according to the academic journal it was published in implies a few drawbacks: Monographs and edited volumes cannot be assessed, and estimating the quality of an individual article by looking at the journal it was published in is problematic. Based on the work of Harzing (The publish or perish book: your guide to effective and responsible citation analysis. Tarma Software Research, Melbourne, 2010), this article applies a different approach by measuring the individual impact of each researcher. As a data source we use Google Scholar because it offers the best coverage available in the field of German academic literature in business administration. However, Google Scholar implies qualitative shortcomings that deserve a careful inspection and revision. We analyse all recent publications (2005–2009) of all members of the German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB). Among the researchers, the citations are distributed highly unequal and follow Pareto’s Law: Few scholars gather a large part of all citations. Between the different subfields of business administration there exist large differences regarding their publication and citation cultures. This should be considered carefully when interpreting the results of the ranking.     

Are you obsolete?

Are you vulnerable, regardless of length of service at your organization and your unique skill sets? There are ways to test vulnerability and assemble some hard evidence that your management role makes a difference. You need to conduct a self-test for obsolescence. Ask yourself the following questions: Are your skills state-of-the-art? As a manager, how do you compare with others doing the same, or similar, job at competing organizations? Is your role essential? Where does your job fall into the big picture? Can you be replaced easily? If a thorough examination of your skills and your role convinces you that your contribution returns more to the organization than your salary, can you prove it? Consider these strategies: (1) Put together a portfolio, (2) ensure your boss' support, (3) advertise your successes, and (4) cultivate recruiters. The best reason to analyze your value to the organization is that if you are laid off, getting another comparable job--or a better one--will be far less of a hassle.     

Communication skills: a prerequisite for leadership

A man once said, "He who would be first among you, let him be your servant." I think he also would have said, "If you would be the leader of the troops in health care, you must be able to communicate." You must be a good listener, be able to facilitate conflict resolution, be a good interviewer, deal effectively with problem physicians and employees, speak effectively in front of an audience, and communicate well in writing. Do not assume that you are good at any of these skills because you went to medical school. All of us need improvement in these areas.     

Scholarship and decision cases: pedagogy and standards for publication

Case studies represent an important form of scholarly output for educators of agribusiness management. This article defines scholarship with respect to case writing.First, it explains how case studies are scholarship in the educational process. The pedagogical foundation of the case method is this method’s effectiveness in developing the critical thinking skills of students. This in turn enhances learning and advances scholarly understanding.Second, it examines criteria that are used to assess the quality of cases and their accompanying teaching notes when being considered for journal publication. The standards of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review are used to illustrate these criteria. Only by reaching these standards of scholarship will teaching notes and cases be of the quality needed to ensure that their use in the case method will develop the scholarly capabilities expected of graduates in agribusiness management.     

Falling from the top: the fired physician executive

Today's health care market is volatile, and the job of a physician executive is becoming more risky. Recognizing signs of trouble and taking immediate action is essential. Ten early warning signs that you could be fired are: (1) Net profits dip unexpectedly; (2) investment income can't cover operating losses; (3) bond rating is downgraded; (4) revenues are not rising as fast as costs; (5) senior executives leave the team; (6) wage increases don't improve nursing vacancy rate; (7) unions begin whisper campaign; (8) medical staff elect an SOB; (9) hospital is slapped with a costly lawsuit; and (10) recruiters call to check on your status. Physician executives are quickly learning what it takes to overcome tough challenges and prevent premature job termination: Communication; no-surprise performance; continuous monitoring of key indicators; openness and plain talk; and no-more-business-as-usual attitude. What can you do to make your job loss as painless as possible? (1) Negotiate a contract upfront; (2) don't lose your temper; (3) ask for your wish list quickly; (4) be reluctant to sue your former employer; (5) tell your family as soon as possible; (6) take only a brief vacation; (7) consider a temporary assignment; (8) be prepared to be re-employed by your former employer; and (9) keep a positive attitude.     

The successful physician negotiator

Whether you realize it or not, you are in the middle of a negotiation every time you are asked to do something. Negotiation skills are important for physician executives, both in their professional and personal lives. The Successful Physician Negotiator: How to Get What You Deserve provides useful examples of how to negotiate and helps you get in the proper mindset to get it done effectively. While the book explores the concept of cooperative negotiation, which is important if you want to have a long-term relationship with a person, it's also important to have other tactics. You need to understand your opponent by gathering information about his or her values and work situation. You can gather information when talking to your opponent, but you also need to do some "behind the scenes" preparation before the encounter begins. Other recommendations include: don't negotiate in your office, use time to your advantage, be able to keep silent when necessary, have options, be able to say no and walk away, keep your cool, and take notes.     

When it's time to say goodbye

You've landed the perfect job, but now you must face your current employer and deliver the news that you're leaving the organization. While an exciting time, this can also certainly be a stressful one. Here are some strategies and ideas for saying goodbye to an employer that may be useful in guiding your actions. From being ready for counter-offers to downright hostility, you need to be prepared to deal with various scenarios. No matter how you have steeled yourself to go into the boss's office to share your news, you cannot predict with total accuracy just what his or her response will be. There will always be surprises, although usually things are never as bad as your imagined worst-case scenario. However, when you are ready to make your plans known, one simple rule is always required: You must have total commitment to your new position.     

Thriving in change

The turbulent state of health care and the rapid changes that show no sign of abating point to many career-related challenges for physician executives. How can you predict the impact of these changes on your career? What measures can be taken to prevent any negative impact of change? And how can you prevail when dealt a negative blow like job loss? The signs that foreshadow the unraveling of a physician executive's career are described. The warning signs are: Not keeping up with change, losing your influence; getting negative feedback; turning your "concerns" into complaints; the economy working against you; and being blindsided because we think leaders operate logically. Being proactive puts more control in your hands and leaves less to chance. You can prevent being blindsided if you: develop your people skills; get comfortable and involved with e-business; stay abreast of health care trends; pick up the pace; and develop "You, Inc." There is a final component to prevailing over adverse circumstances--find your work-related passion and apply it to your career.     

Do you demonstrate leadership skills when you speak?

Nervous about your next big presentation? Don't be. There are proven ways to polish your presentation, spice up your speech and capture your audience's attention. Find out how experienced physician executives deliver dynamic presentations and learn tips for avoiding common mistakes.     

Watching the falling barometer

How can physician executives create a vision, a strategy, in the face of such overwhelming forces for change? The answer has two pieces. The first is the Weather Channel: scanning the future for warning, for opportunities, for new business possibilities. The second leads us to such questions as: What is your situation? Financially? In market terms? It leads us, as well, back to the question: For you and your institution, what is your reason for being in this business? In other words, what is your foundation? If you can become clear about who you are and what you are here for in the long run, and match that with some sense of the technologies and the political and financial pressures headed your way, then you can begin to create a vision of a future that works for you. In the coming years, we will begin to create entire new ways of doing health care, new roles for hospitals, new types of medicine--and the time to begin the creation is now. If you wait until the hurricane hits, it will be too late.     

Got curiosity?

The newest scientific models of decision-making suggest that the way we actually decide to do something is different from the story we put on it later. Organizations think that way, too. The real process of decision-making is hidden. Management is complex--and a key tool is curiosity. A critical question would be: "What experience are we creating?" When you get curious, separate what you notice from the story you tell yourself about it--even if the story is true. Look for the meaningful experience: your own, your employees', your customers', your physicians'. The essential act of management is to notice, to not look away.     

Delegation can make (or break) your career

Delegation is not a soft skill. Physician executives who do not delegate well and strategically cannot expect to achieve the top jobs now or in the future. It's not enough to have great communications skills to convey your vision. You won't achieve that vision alone; you must have a great team to bring that vision to fruition. However, you can't delegate your first and most important step--self-assessment. To maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses, you'll need a clear view of what makes you tick. Then start thinking about your executive role in these terms: Conceptualize work mandates as projects; choose people who are better than you for your team; and try to work yourself out of a job. By learning to delegate, physician executives can make their own careers (as well as those on their team) richer and more fulfilled.     

Health care is sales

Health care is all about sales--everyone today in the competitive arena of health care is a salesperson. Your selling days began when you applied to medical school. Your product was yourself, and you worked hard to sell it. That was only the beginning. In your daily work as physician executives, you are selling yourself and your ideas-your ideas about relationships, management structures, partnership issues, merger questions, etc. It's a complicated world, and the concepts are often abstract and difficult. But it is your job to communicate with others to get things done. It is the most important part of your job. It is selling, in fact, at a sophisticated level. How do you communicate and sell yourself and your ideas effectively? Here, some ideas on how to listen and communicate.     

The right paperwork for the right audiences

Physician executives need to exercise considerable discretion, care, and judgment when they write about their professional accomplishments in the form of a résumé or curriculum vitae (CV). This paperwork is intensely personal. It must be a true reflection of you, your achievements and goals. Others read it to learn more about you. Those you fail to convince, you're likely to lose--along with your chance to meet and charm them in a personal interview. A physician executive's thoughtfully prepared résumé and CV can result in him or her being offered terrific opportunities for career growth. The paperwork is a self-constructed gateway through which you can properly approach hiring organizations--and how it reads is totally under your control. Some suggestions to consider in developing your résumé or CV are: be succinct; don't overstate; use both documents; do your homework; and be ready for the next steps.