"The Buck Stops Here"

As I reviewed the reports of the recent events surrounding the killing of Osama Bin Laden by the US Special Forces, I was struck by this picture of the White House staff in the situation room as they watch the events unfold. The intensity of those present is obvious. Even though President Obama is not sitting at a computer or personally directing the operation, his concern is evident as it should be because in the words of Harry Truman, “the buck stops here.”

Often when I work with doctors I find that there is a lack of progress in tackling the challenges in their practices because the owner/doctor feels that because he has delegated a task and his/her responsibility for the successful completion of the task has ended. An effective leader understands that the success of a project is more a matter of “assign and report” rather than “assign and forget.” During my years of private practice, I found that once I had adequately trained my staff, they could work well independently and I was confident in their ability to successfully complete projects. My confidence in my staff was reinforced not only by their successfully reinforcing their project but by frequent reports. I am a fierce advocate of delegation but I always bear in mind that “the buck stops here.”