Last year, 54 percent of physicians reported symptoms of burnout. Behind that statistic are thousands of dedicated professionals who entered health care to help people, only to find themselves drained.

I know because I was one of them.

I’m going to share how transforming my approach to leadership through coaching not only saved my career but can revolutionize outcomes across our entire health care system.

The silent crisis in health care leadership

When I first earned my white coat, I was fueled by a deep sense of purpose. I entered medicine because, after tragically losing my grandfather from a heart attack, I knew I wanted to make a difference. Somewhere along the way—after years of dealing with a volume overload of patients and paperwork, struggling with the frustrations of an electronic health record system, and feeling a loss of autonomy, I was beginning to feel—that the flame was dimming.

My story isn’t unique.

Across the country, talented physicians are quietly disengaging or leaving medicine altogether.

This is not just a “me” problem; it’s a “we” problem because when physicians burn out, patient care suffers, medical errors increase, and the financial impact on health care systems is severely impacted.

Traditional solutions often miss the mark. What’s needed is a shift in how we lead and interact with each other in health care environments.

Why coaching culture is the antidote we need

I stumbled upon coaching almost by accident. After a particularly difficult year when I seriously contemplated leaving medicine, a friend suggested I work with a coach. Initially skeptical because, at that time, coaching was not popular in health care, I reluctantly agreed.

That decision changed everything.

Through coaching, I discovered that the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t handle the pressures of medicine—it was that I had been approaching it all wrong. I was trying to “fix” everything myself, micromanaging my team and taking responsibility for problems that weren’t mine to solve.

Coaching taught me that effective leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about asking the right questions and empowering others to find solutions. It’s about creating conditions where people can do their best work, not constantly telling them what to do.

The impact was transformative, not just for me but for my entire staff. I also discovered that there were many ways that I could lead inside and outside of medicine.

What exactly is a coaching culture?

A coaching culture in health care is fundamentally different from traditional management approaches. While traditional management focuses on command, control, and correcting deficiencies, a coaching culture emphasizes curiosity, continuous growth, and collaborative problem-solving.

In a coaching culture:

• Leaders no longer see themselves as fixers.
• Questions take precedence over directives.
• Feedback flows in all directions, not just top-down.
• Mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities, not failures.
• Individual strengths are identified and maximized.
• Psychological safety is prioritized.
• Growth and development are ongoing, not periodic.

Imagine a place where we’re all supporting each other, learning how to communicate better, how to manage stress, and how to lead effectively. Imagine a place where we feel valued and where we can make a difference.

That’s what a coaching culture can do.

Building a coaching culture: a roadmap for physician leaders

Transforming organizational culture doesn’t happen overnight, but there are concrete steps physician leaders can take to begin shifting toward a coaching approach. Here are three essential strategies:

1. Start with self-awareness

The journey toward a coaching culture begins with you. Before you can effectively coach others, you need to understand your own leadership style, triggers, and areas for growth.

Practical steps:

• Seek feedback on your leadership from multiple sources.
• Work with a coach yourself to experience the process firsthand.
• Practice regular reflection on your leadership interactions.

2. Master fundamental coaching skills

Effective coaching relies on a specific set of skills that most of us weren’t taught in medical school. The good news is that these skills can be learned and developed with practice.

Core skills to develop:

• Asking powerful open-ended questions.
• Active listening.
• Providing feedback that empowers.
• Helping others clarify their own thinking.
• Establishing clear agreements and accountability.

3. Institutionalize coaching practices

To truly transform culture, coaching can’t be limited to occasional conversations—it needs to be integrated into the everyday fabric of the organization.

Ways to embed coaching in your organization:

• Train all leaders in basic coaching skills.
• Include coaching capabilities in leadership evaluation and advancement criteria.
• Recognize and celebrate examples of effective coaching.

The ripple effect: Beyond physician burnout

While my initial motivation for exploring coaching was to address my burnout, what I’ve discovered over time is that the impact extends far beyond that.

When physicians learn to lead through coaching, the effects reach other areas. They bring these same skills to patient interactions, helping patients become more active participants in their own care. They model these approaches for residents and medical students, shaping the next generation of medical leaders. They even bring these skills home, often reporting improved relationships with family members.

For health care organizations, it can improve retention, enhance the patient experience, and strengthen the pipeline for future leaders.

A call to action

If you’re a physician leader reading this, I invite you to consider what your first step toward building a coaching culture might be. Perhaps it’s seeking out coach training yourself or identifying one relationship where you could experiment with a more coaching-oriented approach.

If you’re a health care executive, consider how your organizational systems either support or hinder coaching culture. Are your reward structures, meeting practices, and development programs aligned with these principles?

The challenges facing health care are too complex for any single approach to solve. However, in my experience, few interventions have as much potential to simultaneously address physician well-being, organizational performance, and patient care as building a strong coaching culture.

Lisa Herbert is a family physician and certified executive leadership coach with over 25 years of experience in primary care and health care leadership. She is dedicated to creating sustainable health systems where physicians thrive, leading to improved patient outcomes. As the founder of The Institute for Corporate Coaching, Dr. Herbert trains physician leaders in coaching skills to enhance engagement, improve retention, and build resilient, high-performing health care teams. Physicians can further their training to become peer coaches or certified executive coaches under her guidance.

A sought-after speaker, Dr. Herbert regularly presents at professional associations and conferences, emphasizing the importance of leadership and employee well-being in fostering organizational success. She is the author of Take Back Your Life: A Working Mom’s Guide to Work-Life Balance and Physicians Rise Up: A Guide to Evolving as a Healthcare Leader and a co-author of The Future Female Leader: Preparing Girls & Women to Lead the World. Connect with Dr. Herbert on LinkedIn and Facebook.