President's Message

I have been thinking a lot about professionalism and leadership lately, probably because the new Texas Medical Association Leadership College is in development to launch this October. My radar is more alert to best practices and leadership training models, so I am paying more attention.

In February, Rebecca Brandt, CAE, AAMSE executive director, and I attended the “ASAE CEO and CSO Leadership Symposium.” It was great to meet up with other AAMSE members with their presidents at the meeting. Some, like Susan Hogeland, CAE, executive vice president for California Academy of Family Physicians; Robert W. Seligson, MBA, MA, CAE, CMP, executive vice president and CEO of North Carolina Medical Society (and past-AAMSE president); and Gordon Smith, JD, executive vice president, Maine Medical Association, have attended more than 15 of the symposiums! Fifteen years of listening to a lot of the same leadership theories and lessons. So why do they keep coming back — and what did I find so useful from the meeting?

Best take away: Much of the content was old hat, but I had the unique opportunity to sit with Rebecca for a solid one and a half days and work through focused, facilitated discussions about how AAMSE works: our board operations, compared to the benchmarks; our strategic planning process; our governance roles; our communications styles; and many other relevant exercises.

Later that month, I attended “Leadership Lessons,” a special program that my boss, Lou Goodman, PhD, CEO set up with the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Texas Medical Association senior staff joined our board of trustees for a two-day program that featured the school’s best professors. We learned about leading high performance teams, leading change, leadership as a board member, and (my favorite) strategy implementation: yesterday and tomorrow organizations (featuring a comprehensive case study about Southwest Airlines). Our board was so engaged that they shut off their cell phones, hurried back from breaks, and stayed for the whole program — even though it meant some had to stay an extra night to get a flight home.

Best take away: I found some excellent speakers for TMA’s Leadership College!

AAMSE Leadership Academy
Two years ago, Jack Lewin, MD, CEO of American College of Cardiology (and AAMSE board member) and I attended the AAMSE Leadership Academy in Chicago. It was a unique and intensive three-day immersion in case studies, strategies, tools, and techniques to develop the leader within. The small class structure encouraged close interactions that resulted in long-lasting relationships with the Academy’s alumni that provides a strong network for sharing ideas, expertise, and best practices beyond the classroom. A group of alumni meet each year at the AAMSE Annual Conference to meet up with friends and share new ideas.

Best take away: We were provided with a 360-degree feedback report in the form of the Leadership Practices Inventory, which allowed us to examine our leadership, validate the things we were doing well, and identify ways to be more effective leaders.

AAMSE New Medical Executives Institute
Thanks to the determined leadership of Cal Chaney, JD, CAE, general counsel and associate executive director, Policy for the American College of Emergency Physicians (and immediate AAMSE past president), we repackaged and relaunched the AAMSE New Medical Executives Institute in 2009. This program aims to help those who are still uncovering the mysteries of medical society management and organized medicine. It also provides an opportunity for participants to begin developing a peer network, which will serve them throughout their medical society management career.

This time, I was an AAMSE officer and speaker (“Can You Hear Me Now? Communicating with Members”). It was inspiring to see a fresh crop of young association professionals learning how the federation works and forming relationships that I know will last throughout their career.

Best take aways: The participants loved the “45 Career-Building Ideas in 45 Minutes,” and hearing from veteran CEOs from AAMSE’s leadership ranks.

Recognition and Special Thanks
Laura L. Tiberi, CAE, executive director of the Ohio Chapter, American College of Emergency Physicians, is the chair of the AAMSE Leadership Committee. The committee is planning the next AAMSE Leadership Academy, to be held in the fall. Stay tuned for more details.

The AAMSE Leadership Academy and the AAMSE New Medical Executives Institute is made possible through generous funding from our key sponsor, Pfizer, Inc.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the crew at North Carolina Medical Society for their counsel during development stage of our TMA Leadership College. Richard Skinner runs the NCMS program and directed me to a great facilitator to help us plan our program. In the spirit of sharing, I would be happy to send anyone details on our program — just drop me an e-mail.

Connie S. Minogue, CAE
Vice President of Marketing
Texas Medical Association
AAMSE President 2009-10

Upcoming Events
New Medical Executives Institute - May 10 - 12, Chicago, IL
Futures Conference (State CEOs Only)   - May 24 - 25, Austin, TX
AAMSE Annual Conference - July 21 - 24, Seattle, WA