ABSTRACT
All managers and supervisors in a clinic are formal leaders because of their title or position. All providers are also formal leaders in a clinic because of their role in leading patient care. How strong and aligned the formal leaders in a clinic are often makes or breaks a clinic’s performance. While all managers should be leaders, not all leaders are managers or formal leaders. Humans lead one another through influence. Informal leaders in an organization tend to lead by providing others with direction, especially when clear direction is not coming from formal leaders or if the direction from the informal leader sounds better. Clinic managers have different styles and competencies. Clinics have unique cultures and working climates. Clinics can be top-down controlled by management where decisions and information are disseminated from top managers. Clinics can be bottom-up driven where best practices and decisions are floated up from engaged staff to management that act as coaches.
