AAMC Reporter: April 2009

A Word from the President: A New Leadership Concept in Action

A year ago, in my column "Standing on Their Shoulders," I discussed the incredible legacy of three greatly respected AAMC leaders retiring from their executive roles—Richard M. Knapp, Joseph A. Keyes, and Robert M. Dickler—and how they had so solidly positioned us for the future. Today, building on the foundation these three provided and following a smooth and productive recruitment and transition period, a new leadership team is ready to continue the legacy of service and leadership for the AAMC.

We now have Ann C. Bonham, Ph.D., as our new chief scientific officer, and Atul Grover, M.D., Ph.D., as our new chief advocacy officer, joining John E. Prescott, M.D., our chief academic officer; Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., our chief health care officer; and Robert F. "Bob" Jones, Ph.D., our chief mission support officer. Together, these executives will be leading our five key "clusters" of activity—advancing the continuum of medical education, strengthening the national commitment to discovery research, working toward a health care system that provides quality care for all, translating our messages into effective voice and advocacy efforts, and ensuring that all our services and operational functions remain strong.

By a fortuitous (but not entirely unanticipated) turn of events, all five chiefs are well-known to many of our members. Ann and Joanne, through their prior AAMC involvement, collectively have served as representatives to half of our professional development groups. John, as many of you in academic affairs know, was active on the Council of Deans and recently chaired the AAMC Holistic Admissions and Enhancing Diversity Committee. Atul, through his extensive knowledge of and experience in public policy, has quickly become a familiar face to many of our constituents. Bob Jones, as leader of our financial, administrative, and information resources operations, has been at the hub of AAMC activity for more than 30 years. Each cluster chief has extensive experience in various facets of academic medicine, and each brings an extraordinary set of professional credentials to our organization.

The selection of these leaders, however, is far more than a matter of individual recruitment. It is about their commitment to working interdependently, and the alignment of our missions that will result from their interaction. Together, I believe they will operationalize for the AAMC the type of integrated, collaborative leadership demanded by our rapidly changing operating environment. In turn, we hope to be even better positioned to address the emerging leadership challenges facing our members.

What will this new leadership concept look like, and how will you see it in action?

The first, and I think most readily apparent, sign will be the increased visibility of the leadership team at our meetings and events. Typically, a single senior AAMC executive has been associated solely with one particular council. In this new model of interdependence and mutual accountability, each chief will be equally accessible to all our councils, as well as to our organizations and professional development groups. The goal will The first, and I think most readily apparent, sign will be the increased visibility of the leadership team at our meetings and events. Typically, a single senior AAMC executive has been associated solely with one particular council. In this new model of interdependence and mutual accountability, each chief will be equally accessible to all our councils, as well as to our organizations and professional development groups. The goal will be increased interaction with a larger, more diverse group of AAMC constituents. This model offers the great advantage of ensuring that work across our mission areas is integrated and aligned, that more supportive relationships are formed, and that we move away from the insular or "siloed" approaches with which academic medicine has struggled in the past.

Another way this new model will be evident is by the more extensive engagement of AAMC staff. I believe that each cluster chief is what educator and author Jim Collins terms a "Level 5 Leader." Because of their ambition "first and foremost for the cause," they will be able to engage our superb, mission-driven AAMC staff in ways that maximize individual leadership and enhance our organizational effectiveness.

Implicit in this kind of leadership are two factors. One is a sense that "we are all in this together," and the second is a "passion" for what we do. And if you have not already been inspired by the energy that Ann, Atul, John, Joanne, and Bob each have brought to our mission "to serve and lead the academic medicine community to improve the health of all," you soon will be! In fact, I had the opportunity at our spring meetings to talk about our new leadership team and was heartened by the enthusiastic response this news received.

As these new team members start their work together, one dynamic will remain constant: a solid dedication to the core values that have made our association strong. Like the giants in whose footsteps they follow, the personal values of Ann, Atul, John, Joanne, and Bob are deeply aligned with those of our organizational culture. Their success as a team depends on all of us, and both Carol Aschenbrener, M.D., as executive vice president, and I stand ready to do all we can to serve and support them in their daily work.

In previous columns, I have talked about our ongoing strategic thinking and planning process, the new governance we have put into place, and the importance of changing our culture. Today, we are at an exciting place in our history where these changes are coming together in a new model of association leadership. Not only are we better poised to address issues such as health care reform, the need for sustained federal investment in medical research, transformation in the medical education curriculum, affirming institutional integrity, and other complex matters, we can start to parallel the new structural alignment we increasingly see emerging in our academic medical centers. Your own efforts in organizational transformation have been inspiring, and at the AAMC, we intend to keep pace with your innovation.

Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., AAMC President and CEO