Stanford Leadership Development Program
Participants in the Stanford Leadership Development Program, jointly sponsored by the School of Medicine and Stanford Hospital & Clinics, learn the skills required to lead small divisions, sections or teams within an academic medical center. The program goal is to develop the leaders needed to implement institutional strategies and meet future challenges in academic medicine.
Leadership Development Program Testimonials
Yaso Natkunam MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology
Associate Chair for Hematopathology
"Effective leadership comes into play in every aspect of academic medicine that I participate in. But having never taken a leadership course, or considered one important for much of my career, this concise yet comprehensive program exposed me to the vocabulary, concepts and strategies that are fundamental for success in an academic career. Starting from self-assessment to team building and negotiation, the course format and speakers made this experience extremely conducive to learning and sharing. This course gave me a great foundation not only for learning leadership skills, but also for shaping my vision and future goals."
"The thing that I would say is that from my perspective in science, most people are introverts and cast a skeptical view of these sorts of things. This changed my mind about it. When you hear 'conflict resolution,' most of us think that’s really intuitive and of course we know how to do it – but in reality, when I got into a real leadership position, I really did need those things. And some of those ideas percolated back up to me. Specifically, with regard to this project – to this day, I maintain to-do lists and trees. I have tried to organize myself for how I go forward through a project. I went in skeptical and came out a believer. I think it’s great."
2016-2017 Stanford Leadership Development Program participants.
Leadership Development Process
Leadership Projects
With the help of a coach, participants design and implement a three-month team project to improve operations or create or improve programs in the school or hospital. Previous projects have included business planning, clinical process improvement, new curriculum development and creation of interdisciplinary research programs.
Leadership Training
Physicians participate in six day-and-a-half long meetings during the year in which they receive instruction on topics including leadership, finances, human resources and diversity. The curriculum includes affecting change, team dynamics, project management, negotiation, and influence without authority, developing diversity, managerial accounting, an overview of the school and hospital, and dealing with difficult conversations. Participants learn work-leadership balance and receive feedback on their individual leadership styles and opportunities for development.
Selection Process
The Stanford Leadership Development Program is designed to include 25-30 participants each year. The program is open to all ranks in all faculty lines. Selection for the program begins with a nomination by a senior leader in the SoM or SHC. Nominees who are interested complete a short application. Participants are selected by a committee made up of Senior Deans and SHC Senior Leadership Team members. Candidates are ranked on their demonstrated commitment to building diversity, current leadership activities and potential for growth as a leader. Particular effort is made to ensure diversity within each cohort, with approximately half being women and 25 percent being from underrepresented minorities.