Dr. Pearce Shares Leadership Strategies with USA Medical Students

Craig L. Pearce, Ph.DOn March 28, Craig L. Pearce, the Ben May Distinguished Professor at the Mitchell College of Business conducted a workshop entitled "Leading in the Medical Context: It’s Time to Start Sharing," for third year medical students. Even though all medical doctors are ultimately in positions of leadership when they graduate from medical school very few medical schools provide any leadership training. According to Dr. Pearce, "This puts medical doctors at an immediate disadvantage when trying to coordinate care for patients." His workshop introduced students to leadership fundamentals; how to influence others with situationally appropriate behaviors, as well as how to develop strong teams through the deployment of shared leadership.

The workshop is part of an ongoing effort to develop stronger ties between the Mitchell College of Business and the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama. MCOB Dean Bob Wood stated, "We are continuing to find ways to collaborate with the College of Medicine, creating world-class opportunities for both education and research and Dr. Pearce is instrumental in this process." Dr. Pearce has an ongoing stream of research in medical leadership. Recently he published a study entitled "University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center Rotates Shared Leadership in Crisis Situations, Depending on Skill Level and Crisis Severity," in his latest book "Share, Don't Take the Lead." The University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center is one of the foremost institutions of its type in the world. Dr. Pearce and colleagues extracted leadership lessons from them and now he uses those results in workshops such as the one he conducted at our College of Medicine.

Dr. Pearce is an expert in leadership and teamwork. He coined the phrase "Shared Leadership." He conducts leadership development workshops all over the world for clients ranging from hospitals and manufacturing firms, to governmental agencies. He joined the Mitchell College of Business in 2016 and most recently lived in Istanbul, Turkey, where he was the founding director of the Deloitte Leadership Institute.