Radiology Grand Rounds-August 30, 2013

On Friday, August 30th, 2013 guest speaker Alex Norbash, MD, MHCM, FACR from Boston Medical Center presented: Leadership: Historical Examples, Leadership Science and Lessons Learned. Dr. Norbash has served as a department chair for several years, and he also serves on the board of the Radiology Leadership Institute. His talk was very well delivered, and at times I had to remind myself that I was listening to a neuro-interventional radiologist. He came across as more of a motivational speaker than a radiologist! His talk focused on various types of leaders and leadership styles. He presented several examples of presumed "great" leaders, as well as some not so great leaders. Jack Welch, Nelson Mandela, George Patton were all the right type of leader at the right time in history. Each of them might not be a great leader in all situations. A story Dr. Norbash gave that I felt was very convincing describes how one of his mentors was able to elevate the mood, and work ethic of entire radiology staff simply by his presence. Athough fluoroscopy can be a less desirable aspect of radiology, this particular radiologist had the ability to change the mindset of the technologists and the radiologists that he worked alongside. He was the type of leader that was able to encourage everyone to give their very best effort, without having to say a negative word. To me, that is the best kind of leader! There are many examples of leaders who carry a "big hammer"; who like the "shoot one, scare many" approach. Dr. Norbash strikes me as a leader, who is able to motivate people to do great things, without a hammer! I enjoyed attending this non-technical presentation.