Leadership skills for a high-performance pharmacy practice

A s current and former directors of pharmacy with a combined total of over 140 years of experience in key pharmacy administrative roles, we have over the years shared many hours of informal discussions about the pharmacy profession. We have networked and traded stories about our hospital pharmacy departments, celebrating large and small initiatives that succeeded and learning from those that failed or fell short of our goals. We have shared our visions for hospital pharmacy practice and brainstormed pathways for getting there. We have evaluated trends, dreamed about the future, and philosophized about the leadership necessary for success. This article attempts to capture the essence of those discussions—the practical tips and nuances learned over the years as hospital pharmacy directors—about what it takes to develop and be part of the leadership team in a high-performance hospital pharmacy department. This article covers what we see as the critical components of leadership and provides a framework for ensuring consistency and credibility, setting a plan of action, using the budgetary process as a communication tool, being an opportunist, and maintaining excellence through continual improvement. This article should be of interest not only to aspiring and experienced pharmacy leaders who DAVID A. ZILZ, M.S., is Consultant, Corporate Pharmacy Programs, Iola, WI, and Emeritus Clinical Professor of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin (UW), Madison. BILLY W. WOODWARD, B.S.PHARM., is Consultant, Renaissance Pharmacy Services, LLC, Temple, TX, and Clinical Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin. THOMAS S. THIELKE, M.S., FASHP, is Vice President, Professional and Support Services, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, and Clinical Professor of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, UW. RITA R. SHANE, PHARM.D., FASHP, is Director, Pharmacy Services, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, and Assistant Dean, Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco. BRUCE SCOTT, M.S., is Chief Operating Officer, McKesson Medication Management, Brooklyn Park, MN. Address correspondence to Mr. Thielke at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Room F6/133, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792-1530 (ts.thielke@ hosp.wisc.edu). All authors except Mr. Scott are members of the Health Systems Pharmacy Executive Alliance; Mr. Scott participates as a McKesson representative. Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from McKesson.