Picture a partner meeting at a six-physician group.
The agenda item: whether to hire a second practice manager.
It was on the agenda in March. And April. It came back in June because one partner missed the May meeting and wanted to revisit it.
It’s now October. Everyone agrees it’s important. Nobody disagrees, exactly. But it still isn’t decided.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Physician partnerships often run on consensus. It feels right. You’re colleagues. Many of you are equal owners. Nobody wants to steamroll a partner they’ll be working next to for the next 15 years.
But here’s what I’ve seen happen.
When every decision needs everyone’s agreement, every partner holds an informal veto. The least comfortable person in the room sets the pace. And because the decision belongs to "the group," nobody really owns making it happen.
Meanwhile, the managers learn to wait. And the problem the decision was meant to solve keeps costing money. Input, agreement and decision are three different things.
Good leaders get plenty of input. They don’t need unanimous agreement to act. What they need is clarity about who decides, and partners who commit once the decision is made, even when they’d have chosen differently.
Some decisions should need everyone: a change in ownership, compensation philosophy, a sale. Agree on that list in advance. Everything else needs an owner. Agreement can strengthen a decision. Requiring it can prevent one.
What decision has your partnership been "still discussing" for six months?
Originally published on LinkedIn.
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