Q: I spend a great deal of time putting out fires. What can I do to free up some more time?
A: “Why are you putting out fires? A lot of fires are fires that have occurred before. That said, hire and train well so people are less likely to make errors. Problems are inevitable; the best thing to do is document what went wrong and prevent that fire from occurring again in the future.”
A: “Understand your role, training, and responsibilities so you know how much time to allocate to putting out fires.”
Q: I am a program director who also wears a sales and marketing hat. I can’t seem to strike a balance between the two.
A: “Spend your sales and marketing time judiciously. You can probably spend more time marketing than selling––reserve that for the primo clients. Put together a marketing plan and
minimize direct sales time unless there is strong potential.”
Q: How do I best diffuse authority among the staff so I can have more time for myself?
A: “There are some people that simply don’t have it in their DNA to be authoritative; they are more team players. Then there are people who take responsibility with a little too much enthusiasm. Instill authority in people, empower them, and do not be overly concerned if a person falls short initially.”
A: “When you empower someone, it’s tempting to look over their shoulder. The best way for someone to grow in an authoritative capacity is to not worry they are going to fail. Move forward.”
A: “If the person who is the designated leader is going to enrich their employee with a leadership role, it is important for other staff to know that is the case. Otherwise, there may be a misunderstanding. Make someone a champion and let it be known to the whole organization.”
Q: What resources can I use or create to become a more effective program director?
A: “In my experience, collaborative input will help you. It’s too easy to put down rules and regulations and go with it, and harder to say, ‘Once a week, let’s take a look at different things we’re dealing with. What do you think we need to do to get things done?’ Emphasize that anything created is a team effort.”
A: “As for existing resources, Frank Leone’s sales and marketing book has very good instructions on how to initiate a value-added marketing program.”
Q: Who should the program director report to and why?
A: “It would be nice for the program director to have a collaborative communication system with the program owners and the medical director.”
Q: What is the best model for the program director/medical director?
A: “A lot of variables here, and it depends upon the specifics, i.e., the size of the market, the organizational culture, and the personas of the individuals involved. They should all be taken into consideration before you decide which is the best model. It is healthy to have a collaboration instead of a reporting structure, but that is not always the case. When we get by the ‘it depends’ variables, I like to see co-responsibilities managed among the two.”
