Category: Leadership

  • Empowering Families: Using Financial Freedom to Take Paternity Leave

    Empowering Families: Using Financial Freedom to Take Paternity Leave

    I am the lucky father of three girls. Before the birth of my youngest daughter, my hospital emailed to let me know that I was entitled to 3 weeks of paid parental leave. I was ecstatic. However, as I looked into it further, I found out that I was actually entitled to 12 weeks off! There was one small catch: 3 weeks were paid leave, and 9 weeks were unpaid leave. Not only was it unpaid time off, but I would have to pay the hospital for continuing some of my benefits during that time. My initial instinct was that I should just take the 3 weeks.

    As the date of my daughter’s birth approached, I started to rethink my priorities. For me, time with my family was more important at my early- to mid-career stage than the 9 weeks of salary. Also, my wife and I had saved an emergency fund of 6 months of expenses that we could easily access. What better way to spend that money than to have bonding time with my new daughter and help my older daughters make the transition to being older sisters to our new arrival.

    Understanding the benefits and laws surrounding paternity leave in the United States, particularly the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), is crucial. Moreover, having financial literacy and an emergency fund can make this transformative experience not just feasible, but enriching for families. In this blog post, I will explore the advantages of paternity leave, delve into the FMLA laws, and discuss how financial literacy plays a vital role in embracing this invaluable time off.

    https://www.radfyi.org/2023/10/16/whats-your-number

    Paternity Leave Benefits

    Bonding Time

    Paternity leave allowed me to establish a strong emotional bond with my newborn daughter. Those initial months were invaluable for building connections that will last a lifetime. For my family with multiple children, the initial weeks involved a large change in family dynamics. Since my wonderful wife was very occupied with our newborn, I played a large role in helping my older daughters adjust to having a new member in the family, helping them embrace their new roles as older siblings, teachers, and helpers.

    Support for Partners

    My wife had some physical and emotional challenges after childbirth. During my paternity leave, I was able to support her and share many of the responsibilities that she was accustomed to doing. This allowed her to concentrate on our youngest daughter, helping the wellbeing of both my wife and my youngest daughter.

    Time with Family

    In our practice, it is very difficult to get a long period of contiguous time off. However, paternity leave offers this. During my leave, we were able to rent an Airbnb in Canada for 6 weeks. This allowed us to be very close to my dad and sister, which allowed for so much bonding time between my family and my daughters. It was the best part of the leave time. As members of a sandwich generation, my wife and I are caring for our children and our parents at the same time. It was great to be able to bring them together and spend an extended period of time together. A fantastic blog post titled “The Tail End” by Tim Urban and the Wait but Why team does a great job of explaining why such time is so precious! I highly recommend reading it.

    The Tail End

    Understanding FMLA Laws

    The FMLA, enacted in 1993, enables eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons, including the birth or adoption of a child. Understanding these laws is crucial for fathers planning to take paternity leave.

    Eligibility

    FMLA applies to public agencies, public and private hospitals, and companies with 50 or more employees. To be eligible, an employee must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and have completed at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period preceding the leave.

    Job Protection

    One of the significant benefits of FMLA is the job protection it offers. Employees are entitled to return to their original or equivalent positions after the leave period, ensuring job security.

    Health Insurance Continuation

    During FMLA leave, employers must maintain the employee’s health benefits as if they were still working. During my leave, my hospital paid the employer contribution to the health plan premiums, and I was responsible for paying the employee portion of those premiums, as well as deductible and out-of-pocket costs.

    Financial Independence and Emergency Fund

    While the FMLA provides job protection, it is unpaid leave, which can pose financial challenges for unprepared families. Having an emergency fund can bridge this gap.

    Peace of Mind

    An emergency fund provides peace of mind, knowing that there’s a financial cushion to support the family during the paternity leave period.

    Focus on Family

    Financial stability allows fathers to focus entirely on their families—without the stress of immediate financial obligations. It empowers them to be present, both physically and emotionally, during this crucial time.

    Future Planning

    Financial independence encourages families to plan for the future. It ensures that the leave period doesn’t impact long-term financial goals, providing a sense of security for the entire family.

    I am very lucky to work with amazing, supportive colleagues. When I proposed taking paternity leave, even though no one had done it before, I was met with support from my department, hospital, and colleagues. Another unique benefit to my leave? I was able to take it intermittently during the first year of my daughter’s life. This flexibility allowed me to work when we had visiting family in town, who could help, then take leave when it was just my wife and me. However, the present FMLA law does not require such accommodation, so this is likely employer-dependent. Now, I talk to all fathers who are expecting new babies about establishing an emergency fund, pointing out the benefits of more paternal leave. Anecdotally, this seems to be gaining traction among physicians. I know two recent father doctors who are taking their full allotment of paternity leave, as well as another father who is strongly considering taking some unpaid leave.

    I believe that paternity leave (supported by laws like FMLA) is not just a break from work; it’s an investment in your family and the future. Understanding these laws and ensuring financial stability through an emergency fund can transform this period into a beautiful and enriching experience for fathers, mothers, and children alike. By embracing paternity leave and advocating for supportive policies, we contribute to the creation of healthier, happier families and a more balanced society.

    Sherwin Chan, MD, PhD

    Professor of Radiology, University of Missouri at Kansas City

    Vice Chair of Research, Children’s Mercy Kansas City

  • The Bright Star and Blinding Star Effect

    The Bright Star and Blinding Star Effect

    A Leadership Pearl from Reginald Munden

    John Leyendecker, an astrophysicist at heart, wrote a piece for RadTeams comparing a galaxy to a radiology department. In this blog, he explains how the mass of the stars in a galaxy are not sufficient to hold a galaxy together based on current gravitation concepts. This deficiency in mass led to the theory of dark matter, which is apparently in abundance in the universe although it cannot be detected. Fascinating explanation for one like me who certainly is not an astrophysicist; heck, I barely know any physics, but please don’t tell the ABR. Anyway, without dark matter, galaxies as we know them wouldn’t exist. His analogy is that our radiology departments are like a galaxy with our shining stars (luminary faculty) and dark matter (the rest of us) serving as the glue to hold us together. As strange as all this dark matter stuff sounds, as a department chair, I love the analogy. 

    https://www.radfyi.org/2023/05/01/stars-shine-but-dark-matter-holds-departments-together

    His analogy brings to mind the opposite effect upon a department by a faculty member who is a bright star, but for all the wrong reasons. This faculty member is the dysfunctional, complaining, non-worker who takes all the energy and resources of the department for themselves. They are a bright star, but certainly not a shining one. Perhaps using John’s analogy, they are a supernova—exploding and destroying all the surrounding good stuff. Their actions bring out the “dark” aspect of our dark matter faculty resulting in the department coming unglued; even worse is that happy faculty become unhappy. For these people, I like to use the analogy they are that person on a busy highway who is approaching with their bright headlights on. You know there are other automobiles out there, but you can’t see their lights because this one individual is blinding you. But, we have to see those other headlights and make sure they remain visible, otherwise there will be a major traffic accident destroying us all. How is this done? Often people will say that if they could get rid of this person (maybe their car stops working?), then things would be great. However, this is often a fallacy because remember, there are other headlights out there. When you dim one person’s lights, there may well be someone who rises to the occasion and decides to fill the void by turning on their bright lights. So that tactic doesn’t always work. What you do is to flash your bright lights at the person (confront their behavior) and often they respond. And yes, much like in heavy traffic, you may have to flash your lights at them periodically to remind them. In short, the goal is that while there may be a few bright lights out there, you want to make sure they are not blinding lights, and all lights are visible. And much like our universe, this process is somewhat nebulous.

    Reginald F. Munden, MD, DMD, MBA

    Chair, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science

    Medical University of South Carolina

    Chair, ARRS Membership Committee

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  • Stars Shine, But Dark Matter Holds Departments Together

    Stars Shine, But Dark Matter Holds Departments Together

    I once considered becoming an astrophysicist. I abandoned that dream after performing a very brief financial analysis and a realistic appraisal of my mathematical aptitude, but I never lost my passion for the vast majority of the universe that most people ignore. Living in a place where city lights shroud starry nights hasn’t been easy for the astronomer in me, but I’ve found ways to adapt and still enjoy the hobby. Besides, there are valuable lessons to be learned from any pursuit despite (or because of) the challenges.   

    Few people realize that, when we look at the night sky with the naked eye or even with sophisticated and powerful telescopes, we only see a tiny fraction of the matter that holds our galaxy together. Even when we scrutinize other galaxies with massive telescope arrays in every available bandwidth, we never find enough mass to hold a galaxy together. This discrepancy between a galaxy’s gravitational influence and a galaxy’s visible matter led to the theory of dark matter, a concept that has gained the endorsement of most astrophysicists even though the actual physics remains a bit murky. Without dark matter, galaxies as we know them wouldn’t exist. In other words, those stars that shine so big and bright deep in the heart of Texas would likely be a lot less impressive without the gravitational influence of dark matter. Physicists love particles, and one particle theorized to account for dark matter is called the weakly interacting massive particle (aka WIMP). Now, when astrophysicists aren’t busy telling jokes about Uranus, they are no doubt designing t-shirts that say things like, “WIMPs hold the universe together.”

    Like a galaxy, our academic radiology departments have bright stars. We know these stars as the luminaries who are writing papers and textbooks, getting grants, giving lectures around the world, editing journals, and engaging in similar high-profile activities everywhere but where they work.Enlightened leaders know that alone, these stars cannot keep our radiology departments together. Like galaxies, our departments need something akin to dark matter.

    Unfortunately, departmental dark matter is as easy to overlook as astronomical dark matter. I’m sure we can all think of someone who inspires and motivates others despite lacking title, reputation, or recognition proportional to their influence. That person is dark matter. If I had to assign such an individual a particle name, I would refer to them as a weakly appreciated massively-influential person (aka WAMP). Just as WIMPs provide the force needed to hold a galaxy’s stars together, WAMPs stabilize our departments and allow our academic stars to shine brighter. They do this by working hard, by projecting a positive attitude, by acting in a collegial and collaborative manner, and by sharing, rather than by hording and devouring, resources.

    Radiology leaders adore stars and want to keep them in their departments. Traditionally, leaders have thought that the key to keeping stars is to feed them—more time, more money, more prestige, more recognition, and more resources. But at some point, massive stars evolve into black holes, and the rest of the department suffers. To think that a department can continue to keep the stars without acknowledging and supporting the departmental dark matter is fallacy.

    So, the next time you get away from the city lights, look up and remember that, while those big bright stars are pretty to behold, it’s all the stuff that you are not seeing that is really holding our galaxy, and our departments, together.

    John R. Leyendecker, MD

    Professor and Vice Chairman of Academic Affairs Department of Radiology

    UT Southwestern Medical Center

    Chair, ARRS Scientific and Innovation Committee

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    https://www.radfyi.org/2023/05/01/the-bright-star-and-blinding-star-effect
  • Anything Goes—Is It True for Leadership Styles?

    Anything Goes—Is It True for Leadership Styles?

    There is no doubt that, over the next few years, we will need more leaders in radiology that can fill the shoes of the mighty baby boomer generation. Many early career radiologists believe they do not have what it takes for leadership. But is that true? Is it a matter of “nature versus nurture?”

    I have concluded that “(almost) anything goes” when it comes to leadership styles, and that while it helps to be genetically endowed with such skills, everything can be learned. Or is that even necessary? After all, most everything, from developing a vision and mission to executing our daily work, can be driven by teams, and it can be the total of team members that has the skill set, rather than a single leader who has it all. After all, this is reflected in many academic radiology departments, where the leadership cadre is made up of vice chairs, who bring very specific leadership and subject matter skills to the table.

    When I first became curious about a leadership journey in my career, I asked my then section chief and department chair for leadership book recommendations. One recommended Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington’s biography. In reading the Duke’s biography through a leadership lens, it became clear to me that he valued the musicians in his orchestra very much. In fact, he wrote music that would showcase the skills of individual musicians. In addition, Ellington was a phenomenal businessman who was committed to delivering music of the highest quality.

    The other recommendation was to read Endurance, a book about the explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and his expedition to Antarctica on the ship Endurance. The book details how the ship got trapped in packed ice and sank, and how Shackleton’s exceptional leadership resulted in the survival and rescue of all crew. In essence, Shackleton never wavered in his vision of survival for the entire crew, which informed all decisions he made along the way. On the other hand, in terms of planning this expedition for all eventualities, Shackleton miserably failed in his leadership.

    In my career, I have both employed and lived through a large variety of leadership styles, and I have concluded that more often than not, circumstances inform which leadership style works best.

    Authoritarian – Participative – Delegative

    While there are undoubtedly negative connotations to being an authoritarian leader in the political world, this leadership style can be very effective when projects need to be completed quickly. A group may prefer this leadership style, when the leader is the most knowledgeable group member. This style does not, however, support the professional skills and advancement of others.

    Participative or democratic leadership, on the other hand, is all about welcoming diverse opinions and collaboration. Research finds that this leadership style leads to higher-quality outcomes, but it can take longer to get buy-in from all team members.

    Delegative leadership is a laissez-faire style. The leader is removed from the team’s process, but expects a certain outcome. This could be successful when all group members are qualified experts.

    Visionary – Coaching – Affiliative – Commanding – Pacesetting

    Visionary leadership is often authoritative and can inspire and motivate others. However, a vision only takes the team so far. Having a clear vision to hold on to can help teams that are undergoing dramatic changes within the organization, such as a new practice leader.

    Coaching leaders are those who can help team members improve to support the organization’s goals. This requires the ability to give feedback, which can be an artform in itself…

    The affiliative leader is relationship-focused and creates harmony among team members. However, if harmony is of the utmost priority, team performance could suffer from lack of constructive feedback.

    The commanding leader coerces the team through policies and procedures. As a sole leadership style, this can lead to disengagement of team members. Undoubtedly, though, policies and governance are the necessary foundation for creating accountability and guiding performance assessments.

    Pacesetting leaders serve as an example in productivity, performance, and quality. Leaders who create clear requirements for their teams and set deadlines may be very successful, but this style can also result in overworked teams.

    Transformational – Transactional

    The transformational leader uses coaching and other means to empower teams towards building skills and growing towards a common goal. Meanwhile, the transactional leader drives performance through rewards and punishment. Since external reward/punishment systems work better for achieving short-term goals, this leadership style may not be successful in the long run. I hope this brief overview piques the interest of radiologists who are interested in leadership, but who are unsure if they are cut out for it. A good starting point may be to ponder one’s strengths and find a leadership opportunity in a setting that would benefit from existing skill sets.  

    Nadja Kadom, MD
    Nadja Kadom, MD

    @Nkpiano

    Director for Quality, Department of Radiology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
    Interim Director for Quality, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory Healthcare

    Professor, Emory University School of Medicine

  • Building a Better Future Through Experimentalism, Design Thinking, and Servant-Leadership

    Building a Better Future Through Experimentalism, Design Thinking, and Servant-Leadership

    2020-21 ARRS President Alexander Norbash discusses inclusive practices in a team, experimentalism, and servant leadership to position radiology as at the forefront of future thinking in medicine.