In this opening session we will take on the task of defining leadership. Rather than ascribe to a singular source definition it will explore historical and modern definitions of leadership.

To identify how leadership is an essential role of physicians in healthcare and how to embrace the role.

In this session, we will differentiate leadership traits, skills, and Styles. Understanding our predisposition for specific traits, skills, and styles is essential as leaders to ensure our style profile is flexible and can adapt to the context of the leadership objective. This starts by identifying the skills needed for leadership, critically assessing any skill gaps, and developing a plan for skills development.

It is this process of reflecting on and understanding our own personality traits that influence how we interact with others and in essence how we lead. Understanding how our dominant traits can assist or hinder our leadership development is paramount.

In this session, we will identify Styles. Understanding our predisposition for certain styles is important as leaders to ensure our style profile is flexible and can adapt to the context of the leadership objective. It is this process of reflecting on and understanding our own Leadership Style, Leadership Range and Flexibility, and Leadership Adaptability that enables continual leadership development, with the ultimate goal of enhanced leadership effectiveness.

Personal mastery, as described Peter Senge, is one of the five disciplines of a leader in creating a Learning Organization. He defines it as self-awareness and how an individual visualizes their goal in relation to reality. This session will explore the tools useful in approaching personal mastery while defining the “Soft Skills” of Leadership.

In healthcare a foundation of quality care has been team based approaches, to the delivery and improvement of care. While some of the foundational tenets of team development and effectiveness will remain universal truths, what and how we consider fostering, and evaluating, engagement may need to adapt with our ever changing team landscape.

This Leadership session will review the best practices for team development.

This Leadership session will review the best practices and explore an updated framework for fostering motivation, engagement, and providing psychological safety.

Effective meetings are essential for high-functioning healthcare teams, yet many clinical and administrative meetings fall short due to unclear purpose, poor structure, or inefficient facilitation. In a complex, fast-paced healthcare environment—where interdisciplinary collaboration, rapid decision-making, and resource constraints are constant—leaders must be skilled in designing and leading meetings that are focused, inclusive, and action-oriented. This session equips healthcare professionals with practical tools to plan purposeful agendas, guide productive discussion, and ensure follow-through that improves team performance and patient outcomes.

Conflict is an inherent part of creating change. Conflict can also be a barrier to improvement. Recognizing the roots of conflict and how to effectively manage conflict is an essential change agent skill. Utilizing a framework like Crucial Conversations can be helpful both in understanding conflict and in addressing it.

In this session, participants will explore the critical role of leaders in shaping, modeling, and sustaining organizational culture. The session will emphasize how a strong, shared culture supports the organization’s mission and values, and how leaders can actively influence behaviors, norms, and practices to reinforce that culture.

In this session, participants will explore the connection between organizational culture and strategic planning. Emphasis will be placed on how developing a shared vision, along with clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), can drive growth, alignment, and progress within the organization.

John Maxwell said, “To be a leader you must be able to create positive change.” In healthcare organizations, successfully introducing change—especially through quality improvement (QI) initiatives—requires a strong focus on the people side of change. Change management involves any action or process that helps individuals or groups transition smoothly from the current state to a desired future state. Effective change management requires understanding the emotional impact of change and using targeted communication strategies to address the needs of stakeholders at each stage of the change process.

In this leadership session, participants will explore the role of measurement in identifying the need for change and ensuring that improvements are effective. Leaders will learn how to determine what to measure and how to measure it, shaping the narrative for change initiatives. The session will also emphasize the importance of presenting data in a meaningful and actionable way for end users to drive engagement and informed decision-making.

Leading up” is the ability of healthcare professionals to influence and support their leaders, ensuring frontline insights and ideas reach decision-makers. This session explores strategies to communicate effectively, build trust, and advocate for change in ways that align with organizational goals and improve patient care.