Working Well with the Informal Leaders in Your Practice

Anyone with an up-to-date organizational chart can determine the formal leadership roles in a medical practice. What many practice administrators fail to realize, however, is that there is another, complementary leadership model that exists between the lines in an org chart: informal leadership. This article defines the term informal leadership and describes informal leaders' three bases of power. It suggests seven characteristics of informal leaders and the specific techniques a practice administrator can use to identify the real informal leaders in the practice. This article also offers practice administrators practical tips for dealing effectively with informal leaders who oppose them. It suggests strategies for counseling a reluctant informal leader and for developing the informal leaders in a medical practice. Finally, this article argues that informal leaders can be a source of great help for medical practices that have been downsized or restructured.