In the First and Second World Wars, many young people voluntarily joined the army, navy, or air force because they believed in the cause: the greater good, or what would be at stake if they didn’t fight.

Even for drafted soldiers, for them to sacrifice their personal comfort, safety, or even their life, the cause had to be greater than their pay. This has held true repeatedly throughout history.

Is modern-day medical practice all that different?

There are military-reminiscent overt and covert pecking orders in healthcare’s highly structured hierarchy, wherein all must strictly follow protocol and orders from superiors and higher authorities.

But as effective leaders, let’s not forget that these individuals chose to join the ranks in the front line.

And more importantly, they chose to join your team.

We need to lead them like a voluntary army.

Why? Because at the end of the day, they all have a choice: to stay, or to quit and join another team somewhere else!

If we don’t take our team for granted, understanding that we don’t own or rule over any of our team members and that they choose to stay with us every day—thus being more appreciative of them—we’ll see greater team buy-in and output in return.

What’s your team “volunteering” for in your practice today?