5 Tips for Managing Your Boss: Strategies for Employed Physicians

If you’ve been practicing medicine in a traditional employment setting for some time, you’re likely familiar with the challenges that come with working under a boss. From navigating communication preferences to managing conflicts, employed physicians often find themselves balancing patient care with the demands of hospital administrators, department heads, and other superiors. All of these same challenges exist within employment lite models as well, because you are still working as a hired hand in their eco-system. This means you are still stuck with following your employer’s playbook, even though you do have a lot more personal and professional autonomy.

Let me tell you a about Dr. Patel a coaching client from our SimpliMD community, who as a physician with over a decade of experience in a large healthcare system, knew this struggle all too well. After years of burnout, she courageously transitioned to self-employment and discovered the freedom that comes from managing her own professional life, clients, and schedule. As a self-employed physician, Dr. Patel no longer had to navigate the complexities of managing a boss. Instead, she managed her own micro-business, choosing to job stack contractor work and cash paying clients in her obesity clinic. All of these ventures now aligned with her values and goals providing her with great satisfaction.

However, for those of you still in traditional employment, managing your boss is a critical skill that can significantly impact your professional satisfaction and career growth. In this guide, I’ll explore five practical tips to help you effectively manage your boss and improve your work experience. While self-employed doctors like Dr. Patel may no longer face these challenges, these strategies are essential for employed physicians who want to thrive in their roles.

1. Understand Their Style of Communication

One of the most important aspects of managing your boss is understanding how they prefer to communicate. Every boss has their own communication style—some may favor direct, brief interactions, while others may prefer more detailed discussions. By tailoring your communication to match your boss’s preferences, you can build a stronger working relationship and reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings.

Dr. Patel, during her employed years, learned that her department head was all about efficiency. He appreciated concise emails that got straight to the point, and this realization helped her manage her interactions more effectively. However, now that she’s self-employed, she enjoys the freedom to communicate in a way that suits her and her clients, without having to adjust to someone else’s style.

Practical Tips:

• Observe and Adapt: Pay attention to how your boss communicates—whether it’s through emails, meetings, or informal chats—and adapt your style accordingly.

• Clarify Expectations: Don’t hesitate to ask your boss how they prefer to receive updates or discuss important matters. Clarifying expectations upfront can prevent potential conflicts.

• Be Consistent: Consistency in communication builds trust. Make it a habit to communicate regularly in the way that your boss prefers, and you’ll likely see a positive impact on your professional relationship. Personally I always liked checking in with my boss on Mondays and also artfully referenced placing longer discussions on our monthly practice council agenda. Most importantly, I then showed up consistently to those meetings and actively participated.

2. Know Their Goals and Priorities

To effectively manage your boss, it’s crucial to understand their goals and priorities. What are they trying to achieve, and how does your role fit into the bigger picture? By aligning your work with their objectives, you can position yourself as a valuable team member and potentially open up opportunities for them to support your professional goals. Most of the time, your boss is caught up on one of the corporate ladder rungs and like most of us—their focus is on their direct report superior—-and spoiler alert that is not you—you are UNDER them.

During her time as an employed physician, Dr. Patel often felt frustrated because her priorities—such as providing high-quality, patient-centered care and making sure she got guarded her family time—didn’t always align with the hospital’s focus on maximizing patient volumes. This misalignment contributed to her burnout. In contrast, as a self-employed physician, she now works on projects that align with her values, choosing clients and work that prioritize patient care while not encroaching on her family.

Practical Tips:

• Identify Key Objectives: Take the time to understand what your boss is focused on, whether it’s improving patient outcomes, reducing costs, or achieving specific departmental goals that make her boss(s) happy.

• Align Your Work: Whenever possible, align your work with your boss’s priorities. If you know your boss is focused on patient satisfaction, for example, find ways to contribute to that goal in your daily work.

• Communicate Your Alignment: Make sure your boss knows that you’re working towards the same goals. Regularly update them on how your efforts are helping achieve the department’s objectives.

3. Build a Trust Account

Trust is the foundation of any successful professional relationship. As an employed physician, building and maintaining trust with your boss is essential for creating a positive work environment. Every positive interaction contributes to a “trust account” that you can draw upon when challenges arise. This can be tough if you have experienced the consistent 2-3 year turnover of middle management in healthcare—making it hard to really get to know them and vise versa.

Dr. Patel worked hard to build trust with her department head during her employed years, knowing that a solid foundation of trust would make her job easier. Now that she’s self-employed, trust remains just as important, but she builds it on her own terms with clients and partners she chooses to work with.

Practical Tips:

• Be Reliable: Consistency in your work and communication builds trust. If you say you’ll do something, make sure it gets done—and done well.

• Be Transparent: If you encounter a problem or make a mistake, be upfront about it. Transparency can prevent issues from escalating and shows your boss that you’re trustworthy.

• Cultivate Positive Interactions: Aim for a high ratio of positive to negative interactions. Even in challenging situations, try to maintain a positive demeanor and focus on solutions.

4. Manage Conflict with Empathy and Strategy

Conflict is inevitable in any workplace, but how you manage it can define your professional success and overall job satisfaction. Whether it’s a disagreement over patient care protocols or a clash of personalities, managing conflict with empathy and strategy is crucial.

During her employed years, Dr. Patel often found herself in conflict with hospital administrators over issues like patient care standards and workload expectations. These conflicts were a significant factor in her decision to leave traditional employment. As a self-employed physician, she now has more control over how conflicts are managed, choosing to work with clients and partners who share her values and approach to problem-solving.

Practical Tips:

• Listen Actively: When conflicts arise, listen to your boss’s perspective before responding. This shows respect and helps you understand the root of the issue.

• Seek Common Ground: Look for areas where you and your boss can agree, even if it’s just on small points. Finding common ground can make it easier to reach a resolution.

• Be Strategic: Approach conflict with a strategic mindset. Consider the long-term implications of the conflict and how resolving it in a particular way could impact your career. I personally recommend the “sandwich method” if you have some constructive criticism—meaning say something positive, share your critical insight, and then always finish with something positive. This method will usually be more productive than just complaining.

5. Be Proactive in Aligning Expectations

Proactive communication and alignment of expectations are key to managing your boss effectively. By setting clear expectations from the outset and regularly checking in to ensure alignment, you can prevent misunderstandings and ensure that you’re meeting your boss’s needs.

Dr. Patel learned this lesson the hard way during her employment years. Misaligned expectations about having a second nurse to help with patient flow and rooming often led to frustration and conflict. Initially, she was told it wasn't in the budget. Once the position was finally budgeted, the pay rate was so low that no one wanted it. After the pay rate increased in the next budget year, the national staffing shortage led to minimal qualified applications. While waiting for help with her growing patient panel, her nurse of four years quit due to the oppressive workload. Now, Dr. Patel is stuck with agency nurses who don't know the patients and do minimal work. She finds the situation exhausting.

As a self-employed physician, she now enjoys the ability to set her own expectations with clients, ensuring that everyone is on the same page from the beginning.

Practical Tips:

• Set Clear Expectations: At the start of any new project or assignment, make sure you and your boss have a clear understanding of what’s expected. This can prevent a lot of headaches down the road. This is especially important if your contract lists professional expectations that your employer agreed to, as your boss likely hasn't seen your contract.

• Regular Check-Ins: Don’t wait until the end of your contract to see if you’re on track. Schedule regular check-ins with your boss to ensure that expectations are still aligned.

• Address Misalignments Early: If you notice that your expectations and your boss’s expectations are drifting apart, address the issue early. A quick conversation can often resolve potential problems before they escalate.

  One pro tip I'll share is to always maximize what I call the "honeymoon phase" of your employment. This is the sweet spot where your employer has made a great effort to recruit you with massive promises that they are likely to deliver on during the first 6-12 months of your employment. During this "star of the show" time frame, they'll want to market and maximize their new asset (you). But after that first year, you'll be replaced by a new asset who they place in the limelight—and their ability to hear your voice and needs will only diminish over time. This is harsh, but it's true. So bottom line, in your first year especially don’t be afraid to firmly make sure they are meeting your agreed on expectations.

Conclusion

Managing your boss is an essential skill for any employed physician, and these five strategies can help you build a stronger, more positive working relationship. By understanding communication styles, aligning with your boss’s goals, building trust, managing conflicts, and proactively setting expectations, you can improve your work experience and open up opportunities for career growth.

However, it’s important to remember that these challenges are often unique to traditionally employed physicians. Self-employed doctors, like Dr. Patel, have the freedom to manage their own work and clients, choosing projects that align with their values and goals. This autonomy often leads to greater professional satisfaction, well-being, and work-life balance. That is been my personal experience as well.

If you’re considering a transition to self-employment, SimpliMD offers the resources and support you need to make the leap. For a membership of just $99, you can access business products and tools valued at $2500 that will help you succeed in the healthcare marketplace as a self-employed doctor. Additionally, our course, “Creating A Practice Without Walls,” provides comprehensive guidance on building a micro-corporation that gives you control over your professional life. Take the first step towards a more fulfilling career—join SimpliMD today.

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