MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
I am thrilled to present you with the Department of Radiology 2021-2026 Excellence Plan. I want to thank the many colleagues who gave up of their personal time to contribute to this plan. At least 70% of Departmental members contributed in some way, so I am confident that it is a true reflection of your thoughts and aspirations for the Department.
Strategy is the keystone of business success. We have succeeded in creating an academic plan that is reflective of the multiple institutions and specialties our department represents, thereby assuring its relevance and success. The creation of this plan is really the beginning of our journey. It is intended to be dynamic, and the priorities we set may be revisited and refined over the course of its execution, so your continuous engagement is appreciated.
I have previously reminded the group that operational effectiveness is not strategy, and strategy is not a polar opposite of operational effectiveness. Together they are the means to harness our good intent and ensure the choices we make align with a calculated path to success.
While effectiveness is important for competitive advantage, strategy is about differentiation. It means deliberately choosing a different set of behaviors, activities, and processes to deliver a unique mix of value. However, as I heard from many practice plans, achieving a sustainable strategic position does require tradeoffs with positions that are incompatible.
As Michael Porter (Harvard Business review) wrote, “With so many forces at work against making choices and tradeoffs in organizations, a clear intellectual framework to guide strategy is a necessary counterweight”. Through this planning process, we have created the “clear intellectual framework” needed to ensure the Department creates an environment conducive to empowering you to realize your full professional potential. So, in essence, this plan is about setting a path to the future and creating a legacy to pass on to the next generation of Department of Radiology members.
By defining, our mission, vision, and values you have defined what the Department of Radiology means to you. Emerging from your enthusiastic participation and responses to the planning process is an overwhelming commitment to excellent patient care, compassion, respect, reputation, empathy, humanity, and work ethic. These descriptors are the epitome of the image we have of our collective selves, and the image or “brand” we want to project to our patients, colleagues, and institution. Tom Peters sums up the emotions embodied in a brand. “A brand is ultimately about nothing more (and nothing less) than heart. It’s about passion...what you care about. It’s about what’s inside–what’s inside you, what’s inside your company.” It was heartening for me to feel the deep emotion expressed by many participants when defining who we are as a department. I hope the passion to attain our ideal values continues to resonate well past the current plan. I encourage you to reflect on your personal brand and make a conscious effort to align these with the collective, within the Department of Radiology.
As Chair I remain deeply grateful for the privilege of leading the Department of Radiology. I remain committed to providing the environment that will ignite your passion and leverage our clinical and academic skillset for the benefit of all our regional partners and most importantly our patients.
Sincerely,
Richard