Letter from the Editor: Leading from Any Chair

“Leading from any chair” is a popular saying in the business world. It refers to the book The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander and refers to leaders who can step back and encourage team members to put forth and champion ideas. An engaged team results in a more productive product. I think we would all agree that one of our greatest strengths as otolaryngologists is to embrace the concept of teamwork. From our time spent rounding as surgical residents, to our reliance on our audiology and speech colleagues, and to the multidisciplinary care of cancer patients, our ability to successfully do our job is incumbent on leading a team of professionals with a common goal.

Many of our brightest leaders are those who encourage and enable those around them to be a part of the process. Over the next couple of months, we will be putting a spotlight on leaders in our field, both in private practice and in academia and their stories of how they got to where they are. Our lead story this month focuses on the different leadership roles physicians can play in their hospital, medical school and/or medical society. The insights of Mickey Stewart, Terry Tsue, Carol Bradford, and Cliff Megerian are priceless for any budding physician leader. Leading from any chair also means that you don’t have to be in a large hospital system or academic medical school to have a far reaching impact.

In this month’s issue, we hear from Ron Kuppersmith on how he acquired the proper mindset he needed to be successful in career and life. Currently in private practice, Ron is a former president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the deputy physician editor for ENTtoday. And online, we have a podcast of Ron Kuppersmith’s interview with Myles Pensak, currently chair of otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati and the executive vice president of the Triological Society. Myles has some great stories. I promise he will make you laugh and be amazed at how opportunities can present themselves at any time.

We hope you enjoy, and look forward to talking to you next month.