How to Thrive—Not Just Survive—as a New Manager, Part 2

Irum Mona Idrees, BSc, MD

Although Irum Mona Idrees, BSc, MD, director of rheumatology at AnMed Health in Anderson, S.C., hasn’t personally encountered this problem, as a younger female, she makes a conscious effort to maintain a professional demeanor.

“Be clear about your expectations of others and what is expected,” Dr. Idrees says. “Model behavior [that you use] yourself as a standard that all should meet. At the same time, be firm and professional with anyone who is disrespectful.”

The New Kid on the Block
If you’ve been hired from outside of a practice, it may be difficult to gain respect from existing rheumatologists who may have been turned down for the position.

“This situation requires sensitivity and tact to keep from demoralizing those who did not get the position,” Dr. Phelan says. “As in all dealings within the role of manager, you are always best served by considering where the other person is coming from [called empathic contact] and responding from a perspective that is mindful of how you might be coming across. This [approach] will help significantly decrease your chances of responding defensively and setting up the potential for conflict.”

In addition, it would be important for others to know your track record of previous success within other organizations. Again, do this tactfully to avoid coming across as a self-aggrandizing narcissist. The latter is a recipe for alienating those around you. If done tactfully, in a low-key manner, a little bit of self-promoting can go a long way toward gaining others’ respect and helping to ensure the perception that you have a certain degree of expertise to offer the practice.

This information can be introduced in the course of a conversation by almost nonchalantly mentioning, for example, how you streamlined documentation procedures at your previous organization, which maximized efficiency and increased patient satisfaction.

“The timing of your comments is extremely important,” Dr. Phelan says. “You don’t want to appear as if you are ‘crowbarring’ your résumé into the conversation. On the other hand, if you don’t let others know what you can do, and what you have done, then they simply won’t know because nobody else will.”

Katy Tynan

If you have a person on your team who seems consistently confrontational or negative, again it’s important to meet with them one on one and try to understand the root of that negativity so it can be addressed and resolved, Katy Tynan, founder of Liteskip Consulting Group in Boston, says.