Is your association looking for interesting and informative programs for upcoming conferences? If so, you should know that Latham Consulting Group has put together several new programs which your members might find of great interest.
If we can be of help in the success of your next conference, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Our current programs include:
Hope Is Not a Strategy: Developing a Strategic Plan for Your Medical Group
With today’s fast changing environment, and the significance of needed decisions, planning for the future is especially critical for medical groups. No matter what future you foresee, long-range, strategic planning is essential to identify where you want to go, and how to optimally utilize your resources to get there. This minute program addresses the need for, process of and benefits from strategic planning.
Learning Objectives include:
- Learn why strategic planning is the best method to optimize resource allocation and achieve job security and satisfaction.
- Overcome obstacles to planning, get physicians involved and make sure the effort pays off.
- Learn how to conduct a strategic planning session for your group.
Herding Cats: 7 Steps to Rapidly Improve Group Governance
This program is designed for medical groups seeking strategies to improve the effectiveness of their group’s governance with practical tools and measurements. This program addresses the causes of “Governance Disorder Syndrome,” the need for effective governance, how to move your group towards a system that works, and pitfalls to avoid.
Learning Objectives include:
- Learn how to get your group to make decisions and stick with them.
- Keep your Board focused on matters relating to governance—not management.
- Examine innovative ways to enhance your Board’s performance through redesigning function, structure and composition.
Growing Physician Leaders
Effective physician leadership is a critical success factor for all medical groups. Medical training programs typically do not focus on leadership skills for a group environment. The result is that many medical groups struggle with how to identify, encourage and enhance leadership talent.
This program helps medical groups identify resources, methods and processes to improve physician leadership in their organization. The program will address leadership assessment, educational opportunities, mentoring and other resources that can be used to improve leadership skills.
Learning Objectives include:
- Understand why physician leadership skills are essential for success.
- Identify resources to improve physician leadership: assessment, mentoring, educational resources, evaluation.
- Learn how to establish group expectations for participation in leadership.
Disrupting the Disruptive Physician
Just one disruptive physician has the capacity to debilitate other physicians, employees and even the entire organization. At the same time, dealing with disruptive physicians is one of the most challenging responsibility of practice governance.
This program speaks to why disruptive behavior occurs and how this toxicity spreads in systems with long-term effects on the organizational environment. You will learn about the disruptive personality and practical ways to reign in and manage disruptive behavior.
Learning Objectives include:
- Identify the why disruptive behavior occurs and is allowed to continue.
- Understand the catastrophic effect of not resolving disruptive behavior.
- Learn how to manage toxic behaviors.
Overcoming Communication Challenges
Communication is defined as a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding. There is not an organization that can operate without communication at all levels. Yet, to quote George Bernard Shaw, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” We all have busy schedules; and many simply see meetings as a waste of time. It has become far too easy to rely, perhaps too heavily, on technology as a mode of communication. E-mail, voice mail and text messages can be very effective when used as a quick means of communication. However, these modes are not always effective; as tone, facial expression and eye contact are all important aspects of communication.
Learning Objectives include:
- Identify methods for improving communication.
- Tips to create meetings that are concise, informative, participatory and positive.
- Recognize warning signs of communication challenges; such as a lack of cooperation in others, goals that haven’t been met, etc.
- Create a connection with those you work with through improved communication skills.
Improving Board Performance
The effectiveness of a medical group’s Board is crucial – yet many Boards lack effective processes. This program helps group leaders identify common mistakes Boards make and offers specific steps that can be taken to improve Board performance.
Learning Objectives include:
- Identify and overcome obstacles in achieving effective governance.
- Modify Board behavior/activities to focus on governance rather than management.
- Apply best-practices criteria to gauge the Board’s performance.
Leading Leaders
Effective leadership usually means the difference between the success and failure of any organization. Leadership is even more important in high-talent organizations such as medical groups where leaders have limited authority over the persons they are supposed to lead. This program shows you how to leverage the assets of the talented and powerful members of your group.
Learning Objectives include:
- Understand why both management and leadership are essential for success.
- Learn how to carefully manage relationships to achieve results.
- Understand the tasks of leadership and how to implement them in your organization.
From Me to We: Improving Group Cohesion
So you’ve pulled together a team of stars – but can they work together to ensure the success of the organization? This program is designed to help medical groups develop and implement strategies to increase group cohesion and improve group performance. The program identifies obstacles to group cohesion and provides specific steps that can be taken to increase cohesion and improve relationships.
Learning Objectives include:
- Understand the challenges to group cohesion.
- Identify team member roles.
- Develop a shared Vision and shared Values.
- Create useful and effective group Norms.
Overcoming Physician Resistance to Change
As medical groups work to implement needed changes, physicians often respond to change with stress, fear and even hostility. This normal human resistance to change is the biggest reason why organizational change efforts often fail to live up to their potential. This program helps medical groups prepare for and successfully implement change. The program will address buy-in, acceptance, motivation, anticipation, fear, uncertainty, and all the other messy human considerations that cause change to fail in the real world.
Learning Objectives include:
- Learn why change is resisted.
- Determining your organization’s readiness to accept change.
- Pitfalls to avoid.
Got Autonomy? Mergers Are Back!
As medical groups work to strengthen their position as independent entities, many are considering strategic mergers with other groups in their region and/or specialty. This program provides an overview of the merger process and direction on why a coordinated and logical process is needed to reach success.
Learning Objectives include:
- Learn why groups are merging.
- Understand the merger process.
- Identify key merger issues.
- Learn pitfalls to avoid.
The Resilient Manager
Medical group managers work in challenging times, with challenging people, doing a challenging job, and are expected to produce at a high level. If you can build your resilience, you’ll have an easier time facing new challenges and coping with stress. This program outlines techniques to prepare for difficult situations and how to bounce back.
Learning Objectives include:
- The need for resilience in today’s environment.
- How to build resilience.
- Dealing with the “heat of the moment.”
- Bouncing back.
Negotiation Skills for Medical Group Managers
This program is designed for professionals seeking strategies to resolve conflict and improve their effectiveness of negotiating with groups or individuals. The program addresses methods to create win-win results by focusing on the three critical areas of successful negotiations… skills, knowledge and attitude.
Learning Objectives include:
- Understand how knowledge, skills and attitude impacts negotiations
- Understand the value of “pre-negotiation” planning and tactics
- Recognize adversarial tactics and learn how to counter them
- How to set negotiation goals
A Negotiation Role Play session is also available and is designed to test and practice the negotiation knowledge, skills and attitude of each participant. At the end of the negotiation session each participant will be able to evaluate their negotiation success based on their final results.
Strategies to Stay in the Game
Change is a constant in healthcare, and medical group managers need to prepare for shifts in the market. Change and career challenges can come in many forms – new medical group leadership, employment by a hospital, a merger, or an acquisition. This session will discuss the need for managers to take control of their careers and provide specific steps they can take to not only survive but also thrive as the environment becomes more threatening.
Learning Objectives include:
- Identify the challenges of group management.
- Discover the steps that can be taken to improve your prospects in your current position.
- Develop plans and steps you can take now to improve your chances of continuing a vibrant career.