• The ability to accept failures and “hard truths” are essential qualities of a good leader.
• Leadership ability can be improved over time.

CHICAGO — Women working as physicians should not wait to be asked to take on leadership positions at their practices, according to a presenter at the Women in Medicine Summit.

“I was just a regular old, middle-of-the-pack person for most of my life,” Christine DeSanno, DO, chief of service in the department of emergency medicine at NYU Langone Health, told Healio. “I did not seek out leadership positions.”

However, after working as an emergency medicine physician for several years, DeSanno began to look for professional development opportunities. She applied to be an assistant program director for a new residency program at her hospital and was chosen after a “strenuous” interview process, she said.

She described being shocked when she landed the job.

“I had a moment of crisis,” DeSanno said. “Imposter syndrome set in.”

However, she eventually embraced the challenges and the discomfort of being in a leadership position, which led her to start saying “yes” to things she might have declined earlier in her career.

“You have to embrace your discomfort,” she said.

That ultimately led DeSanno to her next role as chief of emergency medicine at NYU Langone.

“But through both of those journeys, I felt I did not know what I was doing,” she said. “I felt like I wasn’t qualified. I felt like everyone else was more qualified. I asked, ‘Why me?’”

DeSanno acknowledged making mistakes in these early leadership roles.

“But I learned from them,” she said. “I figured a lot of things out about myself and about leadership in general.”

The first lesson she learned is that many leaders — both men and women — also feel that they are unqualified or that they do not know what they are doing.

The next lesson she learned was how to reframe her discomfort and imposter syndrome.

“You have to learn to grow through your experiences, whether they are successes or failures,” DeSanno said. “Leadership ability can be improved and developed over time. Confidence can be developed over time. You have to take those moments to assess your reality and figure out where you need to improve. Just because you feel like an imposter does not mean you are one.”

Authenticity is another essential component of leadership, according to DeSanno.

“Do not be a replica of other leaders,” she said.

Teamwork is critical to strong leadership, DeSanno added.

“Many of us try to navigate our success ourselves, and take credit for that success,” she said. “But, really, you need people in your corner.”

Mentors can be helpful, but sponsors and peers can also offer valuable input on the areas of leadership that are working and those that need improvement.

“You should have people in your circle who are not afraid to tell you hard truths,” DeSanno said. “You should have people in your industry and from other organizations or departments you can talk to who will give you perspective.”

A final portion of DeSanno’s talk focused specifically on women.

“Often, as professional women, we wait for things to happen,” she said. “We wait for permission to do things and do not seek opportunities at the same rate as men.”

DeSanno then raised an important question for WIM attendees to consider.

“Who are we waiting for permission from?” she asked. “From ourselves?”

Christine DeSanno, DO, can be reached at cdesanno@gmail.com.