Most hospitals and health systems invest in physician leadership development to build physician leadership capacity. However, these programs often fall flat, either because program goals lack a concrete link to system priorities, or attendance is poor and few new leaders emerge.

This executive briefing includes five key questions to help CMOs create a physician leadership development strategy or strengthen their existing program.

1. What strategic imperatives do you need physicians to do in advance?
   Deliberately align your goals for physician leadership development to your organization’s top strategic priorities. Use our scorecard on page 8 to identify how you can leverage physician leaders to advance your strategic imperatives and measure program success.
2. What do physician leaders need to drive your strategy?
   While most organizations focus disproportionately on skill development, a comprehensive leadership development curriculum includes three components: knowledge, skills, and attitude. Use the guidance on pages 9 and 10 to translate the strategic imperatives you identified in question 1 to the right knowledge, skills, and attitude for your physician leaders.
3. Who should you prioritize for leadership development?
   Think holistically about the group of leaders you need to achieve your strategic priorities. Use the graphic on page 11 to consider the trade-offs for cohort design, prioritizing the leaders you need working together to advance your goals.
4. How will you promote physician attendance at trainings?
   Design your program to ensure physicians are willing (and able) to attend. Use the strategies on page 13 to make participation in leadership development attractive to physicians. Page 14 provides strategies to remove common logistical barriers and make it easy for physicians to attend.
5. How will you reinforce learning outside of the classroom?
   The most effective leadership development programs extend beyond the classroom and offer ongoing support. Refer to the options on page 15 for a list of development opportunities you can use to supplement classroom training.
   
   Additional resource: Physician Leadership Development Opportunity Cheat Sheet