An interview with Michael Valentine, MD, FACC
Dr. Valentine served as the President of the American College of Cardiology in 2018 after rising through the leadership ranks. He first became involved with the ACC in 1993 and held several leadership positions along the way, including serving as Virginia Chapter Governor, Board of Governors Chair, and Co-chair of the Advocacy Committee and Treasurer of the College. Dr. Valentine has devoted his career to exemplary cardiovascular care and developing strong physician leaders. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with him about his journey and his advice for aspiring physician leaders.
Q: How would you describe your leadership style?
I am an extrovert and tend to focus on inclusion and inspiration when leading a team. I believe that leadership is a team-based sport and that teams are most effective when they encourage participation from all members. True team-based leadership brings out the best in others. In order to build an effective team, you must first have a foundation of trust. Trust is developed when leading by example and practicing self-awareness. When working with an executive coach, I recognized that my style can overwhelm some and that I need to be ready to bring others along that may work at a slower pace or need more data to make decisions.
Q: What values are most important to you as a leader?
My core values include trust, passion, excellence, compassion, and kindness. I strive for these in all I do. You cannot follow a leader that you do not trust. Good leaders are willing to learn and evolve. They stay trainable and curious, always looking for ways to become more self-aware and improve.
Q: Who is a leader you admire? Why?
I often admire those who lead with a very different style than mine. I am drawn to and try to emulate those who are great listeners and lead quietly by example. These leaders allow me to admire strengths that are not as natural for me and have inspired me to be more aware of what each member brings to the team. Leaders like my father Dr. Herb Valentine, Dr. Lewis Barnett, and Dr. Jim Dove have demonstrated such kindness and compassion through soft-spoken and powerful leadership. I would also mention Drs. Richard Chazal and Pam Douglas for their intentionality in meetings and dynamic contributions to the development of so many ACC leaders.
Q: What are you most proud of during your time in leadership?
As president of my cardiology group for three years, I was able to lead our group to look outside ourselves for help. When we tried to make changes internally it was painful, but with the help of consultants and national leaders within the college, we were able to create lasting change. Effective change management often required us to look outside of ourselves. Slowly we began to have more of a national presence and continued to be among the leading cardiology groups in the Commonwealth. As president of the ACC, I worked to develop an effective five-year strategy by bringing people together and allowing each Board member to operate in their strengths. By enabling these talented individuals to do what they do best, we were able to work more effectively as a team and make difficult decisions that will hopefully help our members for years to come.
Q: What do you credit to your success?
The meager ability to engage others and use their strengths for collective gain has led to whatever success we have shared. I have learned to be willing to give the credit to those who deserve it rather than craving it for myself. My successes are my team's successes.
Q: What is one of the hardest lessons you have learned about leadership?
There is a big difference between intent and impact. Even with all my good intent, I was often unaware of my negative impact on others. This is why self-awareness and knowledge of your leadership style and how it affects others is so important. Until you understand the pitfalls of your natural style, you cannot effectively lead groups of people. It took an executive coach to really help me understand the impact of my style and how to leverage it more effectively.
Q: What are the major pitfalls for physician leaders?
The way physicians have been trained is contrary to team-based management and leadership. Your training emphasizes individual accountability and individual success, which do not lend themselves to leading groups of people. Individual success means nothing when leading a group of people.
Q: What do you think are the most important skills to develop as a physician leader?
You must learn to analyze your style and how it impacts others. Additionally, learning to listen more effectively to other members of the team is vital to be successful. Eliciting feedback from a wider range of leaders is important. I have also seen the value of inspiring others with vulnerability. That means admitting that you do not have all the answers and have learned from many mistakes along the way.
Q: What advice would you give to other physicians interested in leadership?
Be willing to open yourself to learn, change, and grow. The inability to allow others to impact your style and quality will prevent you from reaching the heights you aspire to. Learn from your mistakes or you will repeat them often. Consider investing in an executive coach to improve. Great athletes, actors, and writers have all reached greater success through coaching — why shouldn't you?