Develop Essential Skills to Advance Your Career

Lynnette Chakkaphak, MS, MT(ASCP), recalls a day, some years ago, when her boss came to her office and told her the health system’s imaging director was retiring. As no one else within the system was ready to take on that responsibility, he asked her to be the director of imaging—in addition to her existing job as director of the lab for the health system’s three hospitals.

She looked at her boss and reminded him she had no experience as an imaging professional. He persisted, and said, “We want you as a leader.”

“I could have said no, but I didn’t. I said yes,” says Ms. Chakkaphak, who holds the lofty title of director of clinical operations for her health system.  

Her message to laboratory professionals who aspire to leadership positions: Continually hone your skills and say “yes” to opportunities that arise—even if it’s outside your comfort zone.

“It is in widening that careful, narrow path you’re on that you gain new skills and become more confident,” she says. “You learn and grow by taking on a new committee role, heading up a project in your lab, or by taking on something you don’t know how to do.”

Some skills needed to advance your career involve technical training. Some healthcare organizations provide employees on-the-job training or may pay for employee to attend workshops and presentations outside the workplace.   

Likewise, some employers offer management training in areas such as finance and human resources. When it comes to leadership training, Ms. Chakkaphak suggests finding a mentor, ideally someone within the organization.   

“If one is lucky, some managers are getting mentoring from their director, and their director is being mentored by their chief operating officer,” she adds. “The intangible part of leadership is where you need to engage and inspire your team.”

One of the most important skills you need to have as a leader is communication.

“If I am an effective communicator, I am crafting my message to a particular audience to accomplish exactly what I need my message to do,” she says. “If you communicate well as a leader, you get to the crux of the problem you need to solve. It’s important to communicate well to all levels of colleagues in the workplace.”

Finally, strong leaders should be able to champion quality, professional development and promoting visibility of the laboratory.

“For a lab to be great, you need great quality, and that requires having leaders who know how to achieve great quality. Additionally, the laboratory needs visibility to attract people into the profession and resources. If you are a good leader, you are honing skills to lead quality, be a trusted leader, be a mentor and create visibility internally and externally.”