Volume 8 no 3

BOOK REVIEW: Sudden Leadership: A Survival Guide for Physiciansy

Malcolm Ogborn, MD

Friesen Press; Spring 2022

Reviewed by Johny Van Aerde, Md, PhD

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BOOK REVIEW: Sudden Leadership: A Survival Guide for Physicians

Malcolm Ogborn, MD

Friesen Press; Spring 2022

 

Reviewed by Johny Van Aerde, MD, PhD

 

If you are an up-and-coming or mid-career physician thrown into a leadership role, you want this book on your bookshelf immediately. Sudden Leadership by Dr. Malcolm Ogborn is a survival guide that gives a quick and practical overview of ten topics needed at all stages of a physician’s leadership journey. As Ogborn writes in the introduction, the book is not intended to be an extensive textbook on leadership development, rather it is a book “where introductory physician leader stuff is all in one place”.

 

The book is based on the learning and experiences of the author as a physician leader in the academic and health care system environment, including the past few years as a coach of physician leaders. It presents narratives about two emerging physician leaders who encounter various situations, such as chairing meetings, communicating in writing and orally, building and engaging successful and efficient teams, dealing with conflict, handling wellness and burnout, and more.

 

The chapters don’t need to be read in sequence. The book is written in such a way that one can read about a specific issue when it presents itself. The chapter on time management and changing time perception in the context of crisis is one of the better pieces of writing this reviewer has read in the last few years. Only the second chapter of the book, on followership and engagement, is a little less practical, although it deserves reading sometime during the study of the book.

Every topic in the book is based on good evidence. The lists of resources and references at the end of each chapter are well stocked and merit exploration. The summaries of key take-aways for each chapter are excellent.

 

In short, this book fills a niche that has been left mostly empty until now. The practical and evidence-based content, the narratives, and the entertaining writing style make this a useful, easy to understand resource for the up-and-coming physician leader. As a matter of fact, this book is useful and practical for all physicians and physician leaders, no matter what the stage of their career.

 

Author

Johny Van Aerde, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is executive medical director of the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders and founding editor of the Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership.

 

Correspondence to:

johny.vanaerde@gmail.com

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Sudden Leadership: A Survival Guide for Physicians

Malcolm Ogborn, MD

Friesen Press; Spring 2022

 

Reviewed by Johny Van Aerde, MD, PhD

 

If you are an up-and-coming or mid-career physician thrown into a leadership role, you want this book on your bookshelf immediately. Sudden Leadership by Dr. Malcolm Ogborn is a survival guide that gives a quick and practical overview of ten topics needed at all stages of a physician’s leadership journey. As Ogborn writes in the introduction, the book is not intended to be an extensive textbook on leadership development, rather it is a book “where introductory physician leader stuff is all in one place”.

 

The book is based on the learning and experiences of the author as a physician leader in the academic and health care system environment, including the past few years as a coach of physician leaders. It presents narratives about two emerging physician leaders who encounter various situations, such as chairing meetings, communicating in writing and orally, building and engaging successful and efficient teams, dealing with conflict, handling wellness and burnout, and more.

 

The chapters don’t need to be read in sequence. The book is written in such a way that one can read about a specific issue when it presents itself. The chapter on time management and changing time perception in the context of crisis is one of the better pieces of writing this reviewer has read in the last few years. Only the second chapter of the book, on followership and engagement, is a little less practical, although it deserves reading sometime during the study of the book.

Every topic in the book is based on good evidence. The lists of resources and references at the end of each chapter are well stocked and merit exploration. The summaries of key take-aways for each chapter are excellent.

 

In short, this book fills a niche that has been left mostly empty until now. The practical and evidence-based content, the narratives, and the entertaining writing style make this a useful, easy to understand resource for the up-and-coming physician leader. As a matter of fact, this book is useful and practical for all physicians and physician leaders, no matter what the stage of their career.

 

Author

Johny Van Aerde, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is executive medical director of the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders and founding editor of the Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership.

 

Correspondence to:

johny.vanaerde@gmail.com