Physicians Reading for Growth and Connection

For the past two years, a group of curious physicians has gathered virtually to share reflections on books relevant to leadership and engage in fruitful discussion. This month the Bay Area Leadership Reading and Discussion Group read “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth” by Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School. She has been studying psychological safety for over 25 years and has a lot to say about what it is, its impact, how to build it and how to destroy it. Much of her research has been done in hospitals and clinics, making this potentially more relevant to physicians than most books from business school presses.

Each meeting the group collectively selects a book for the next discussion, often seeking out interesting reads that tie together leadership concepts, medicine, and the healthcare system. In July 2022, the group read and discussed “Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health” by Thomas Insel, MD. Dr. Insel was the director of the National Institute of Mental Health for about a decade. His dedication to solving the mental health crisis shows in his work alongside tech companies to develop artificial intelligence approaches to serious mental illness. Most recently, Dr. Insel has been Governor Newsom’s point person on mental health issues. The group highly recommends this read for those interested in gaining a hard and well-informed overview of the state of care for people with mental illness.

In September of last year, the group read and discussed “An

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American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back” by Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD. This book by the editor of Kaiser Health News describes how the flawed system of self-interested players from health insurance to pharma to hospitals has failed patients in the US and proposes solutions for far-reaching reform.

The very first session of the Leadership Reading and Discussion Group took place in May of 2021 where the group analyzed a short chapter of “The Leadership Moment” by Michael Useem, in which he describes the tragic Mann Gulch fire that killed 17 young firefighters in 1949. This story has many leadership lessons buried in it. This was later followed by “The Premonition”, Michael Lewis’s gripping story of the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the disastrous responses by the federal government and the intriguing actions of a group of public health visionaries. It was interesting to find that the Mann Gulch fire was a major metaphor used by these people to describe the pandemic.

These are just some of the eye-opening reads that the group has had the opportunity to discuss. The Leadership Reading and Discission Group is open to all Bay Area physicians and although reading the book is recommended, it is not required. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge without taking the time to read a book, you might consider incorporating audiobooks into your daily routine. Visit bit.ly/3Yz3HOD to join the next meeting of the Bay Area Leadership Reading and Discussion Group.

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