In every thriving company, there’s usually a great boss behind the scenes; someone who leads with purpose, manages with clarity, and creates a workplace where accountability and engagement go hand-in-hand. In the fast-paced world of Radiology & Interventional Radiology practices, that often means building and leading multidisciplinary teams of physicians, APPs, nurses, technologists, and administrators towards a shared goal of sustainable, compliant, and compassionate patient care. Becoming a great boss comes down to mastering two key roles: Leadership and Management.
In this blog, Become a Great Radiology & Interventional Radiology Boss: A Simple (But Not Always Easy) Guide (Part 2), we dive deeper into the leadership lessons taught by Gino Wickman and René Boer in their book, How to Be a Great Boss (BenBella Books, 2016).
In Part 1, we explored how great bosses build accountable teams by mastering leadership and management fundamentals—focusing on self-awareness, delegation, and putting the right people in the right roles. In Part 2, we dive into the LMA (Leadership, Management, and Accountability) framework, outlining five key practices for leading and five for managing that help bosses drive clarity, consistency, and team engagement.
The LMA Framework: Leadership, Management, and Accountability
How to Be a Great Boss suggests that there are four core truths of great bosses:
- Being great is simple, not easy.
- You can lead with your own style—just be authentic.
- You must genuinely care about your people.
- You must want to be great.
Now, let’s look at the core practices that support these truths.
5 Leadership Practices (Working ON the Business)
- Provide Clear Direction: Define your practice’s vision by answering key questions, like – your 3-year goals, core values, and annual priorities.
- Clarify your 3-year vision: Do you want to expand your Radiology practice to include imaging centers, or IR Clinic? Or, do you want to expand your IR or Vein clinic to an OBL/ASC?
- What strategic and tactical plan will get you there?
- What does this plan look like in action?
- Give the Right Tools: Equip your team with the training, systems, and support they need to succeed. Inadequate tools and training leads to inefficiencies, errors, and frustration.
- Let Go of the Vine: Empower others. Trust them to own their responsibilities.
- Act for the Greater Good: Make decisions with the practice’s and patient’s long-term success in mind.
- Take Clarity Breaks: Regularly step back to reflect, reset, and refocus.
Tip: Schedule “clarity breaks” like any other important meeting. Get them on your calendar and don’t cancel on yourself!
5 Management Practices (Working IN the Business)
- Keep Expectations Clear:
- Define each role with five major responsibilities
For example, responsibilities for your head nurse might include:- Patient education
- Pre-op coordination
- Post-op follow-up
- Documentation quality
- Scheduling coordination
- Set quarterly goals (“Rocks”)
- Ensure all goals are “SMART” – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.
- Define each role with five major responsibilities
- Communicate Well: Use open, honest, and intentional communication. Be clear, concise, and ensure to include the bottom line up front. Tools like “echoing,” the “question-to-statement” ratio, and asking for emotional check-ins help build trust and clarity.
- Maintain a Healthy Meeting Pulse: Have consistent team and one-on-one meetings to align and remove roadblocks. Block the time on your practice scheduler for all resources as needed.
- Have Quarterly Conversations: Regularly review what’s working, what’s not, and how the employee is doing in relation to core values and responsibilities. In an Radiology or Interventional Radiology practice, you might align these reviews with case volume goals or marketing campaign results.
- Reward and Recognize: Give timely feedback—positive or constructive—within 24 hours. Celebrate wins publicly, address concerns privately.
Recognition is a powerful motivator when used consistently and sincerely.
Final Thoughts: You Can Be a Great Boss
Being a great boss isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being consistent, caring, and committed to growth for yourself and your team. By mastering the tools outlined in How to Be a Great Boss—delegating wisely, hiring the right people, communicating with intention, and always leading with purpose—you’ll build an engaged, accountable, and inspired team to do their best work.
This article is inspired by key concepts from How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman and René Boer. For a deeper dive into these leadership and management tools, we highly recommend reading the full book as well as Traction: Get a Grip on your Business by Gino Wickman (BenBella Books 2012).
Whether you’re running a large hospital-based Radiology practice with imaging centers and OBLs, or a solo physician or multi-provider Endovascular & Interventional OBL/ASC practice, applying these principles can help you build a culture of ownership and operational excellence. If you’re ready to elevate your leadership, StreamlineMD recommends diving deeper into the EOSTM framework or connecting with a healthcare EOSTM Implementer.
Disclaimer: StreamlineMD is a user of the EOSTM program for it’s own business operations. We are not a certified EOSTM implementer or consultant. Learn more about EOS and how to be a great boss here: Entrepreneur Operating SystemTM
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StreamlineMD provides Revenue Cycle Solutions to Radiology & Interventional Specialists. Our Mission is to Improve Healthcare for All Americans. Our Core Values that guide us on our mission are Service Quality, Teamwork, Accountability, Efficiency, Adaptability, Communication, and Integrity. Proud winner of the Great Place To Work award. Learn more about us at streamlineMD.com. |
