Leading Peers Who Were Also Candidates for Chief: Politics and Trust

You just got the email.

You’re chief. Or one of the chiefs. And at least one of the people sitting around you at sign-out tomorrow also applied… and didn’t get it.

You can already feel it: the extra silence when you walk into the workroom, the slightly too-quick “congrats,” the joking “well, our future overlord is here” that doesn’t sound fully like a joke. You’re now in charge of people who a month ago were your direct competitors for this role.

This is where residents either grow into real leaders—or they get quietly resented for a year.

Let’s walk through how to handle the politics and trust piece without losing your friends, your sanity, or your credibility.

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Step 1: Acknowledge the Awkward – Explicitly

Do not pretend this is normal. It’s not. Everyone knows who applied. Everyone has a theory about why you got it and they didn’t.

You disarm a lot of that by naming it.

Within the first couple of weeks:

1. Have a 1:1 with each peer who was also a candidate for chief.
2. Keep it short, low-key, and honest.
3. Say the thing they’re not going to say first.

Example script (use your own voice, but keep the spine of this):

“Hey, I know you were in the mix for chief too, and I just want to say I really respect that. I also know this can feel weird—me in this role, you not—and I don’t want that to screw up how we work together. I’d really value your input this year, and if there’s ever a point where something I do feels unfair or off, I’d rather hear it directly from you.”

You are not apologizing for getting chosen. You’re acknowledging the power shift.

If someone seems especially bitter, don’t force a heart-to-heart. Give them space but keep the door open:

“We don’t have to dissect this right now, but I’m here if at any point you want to talk about how this is landing.”

Missing this step is how grudges calcify. I’ve watched whole chief years get poisoned because someone thought “acting normal” meant “never mentioning the elephant in the room.”

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Step 2: Stop Being a Candidate. Start Being a Steward.

During the application phase, you were selling yourself: your ideas, your vision, your qualifications. That mentality has to die fast.

You are no longer The Best Resident. You are the conduit between residents and leadership.

That means:

• You’re not competing with your peers anymore.
• You stop trying to be the smartest person in the room.
• You start trying to be the most reliable person in the room.

When you make decisions, frame them as “what serves the group” not “what validates why I was chosen as chief.”

Say things like:

• “Here’s what I’m hearing from multiple residents…”
• “This is the compromise that seems fairest across PGY levels…”
• “I don’t love this either, but here’s why I think it’s the least bad option.”

You’re building a reputation: this person uses their position for the program, not for themselves. Peers who lost out on chief will notice this faster than anyone.

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Step 3: Draw a Bright Line Between Friendship and Favoritism

You cannot lead peers—especially those who applied for the same role—if people suspect you’re playing favorites.

You need some hard personal rules. Write them down if you have to. For example:

• You do not trade your own bad shifts away and magically end up with the cushy ones.
• You do not always say yes to your closest friends’ requests and no to others.
• You do not quietly “forget” to enforce rules for the people you like.

A simple decision rule I like: if I can’t justify it in a group email without cringing, I don’t do it.

To keep yourself honest, use a transparency rule for scheduling and opportunities.

Area	Fair Practice Example
Scheduling	Written rules for nights/holidays rotation
Conferences	Rotating list for who gets to present
Days Off	Standardized request deadlines and rules
Leadership Roles	Open call for interest, not hand-picked

You do not need to be perfectly fair. You need to be consistently fair with a clear logic you can explain out loud.

If a former chief tells you, “Just do what’s easiest,” ignore that. That’s laziness disguised as wisdom.

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Step 4: Use Their Strength, Don’t Threaten It

The peers who were also chief candidates are almost always:

• High performers
• Vocal
• Well-liked by at least part of the residency

You can treat them as threats to your legitimacy. Or you can treat them as lieutenants—even if they never agreed to that title.

Concrete moves:

1. Ask for targeted help, not vague “advice.”

   • “You’re really good at teaching on rounds. Can you help design a short curriculum for interns on cross-cover calls?”
   • “You know the ICU better than anyone. Can I run a change to the night float handoff by you before we roll it out?”

2. Let them own visible pieces.

   • Morale/retreat events
   • Educational series
   • QI projects
   • Interview day coordination

3. Then give them public credit.

   • In emails: “Props to Dr. X who organized this.”
   • In meetings: “Y brought this concern up first; we wouldn’t have fixed it without that feedback.”

They don’t need a consolation prize, but involving them meaningfully respects that they were seen as leadership material. That quiets a lot of resentment.

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Step 5: Don’t Weaponize Information

As chief, you suddenly see more: evaluations, attendings’ complaints, emails about residents’ performance.

Here’s where politics get ugly fast: if anyone believes you’re using insider info to reward your supporters and punish people who weren’t Team You, trust dies.

Hard rules:

• You never quote attendings’ complaints back to residents unless it’s part of a real feedback conversation you’d be willing to document.
• You do not hint that you “know things” about people because of your role.
• You don’t casually share “well, PD is really not happy with X” in the resident room.

If a peer who was also a chief candidate asks you to share behind-the-scenes stuff:

“I get why you’re curious, but some of this I genuinely can’t share. I’m happy to talk big-picture about what leadership is aiming for though.”

Be consistent with what you do and don’t share. Consistency equals trust.

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Step 6: Handle Disagreements in Public vs Private

You will disagree with peers, including those who wanted your job. The instinct is to either:

• Over-assert (“I’m chief, that’s the decision.”)
• Over-accommodate (“Okay, we’ll just do what you want to avoid drama.”)

Both are weak.

Use a two-step approach.

1. In public (group chat, meeting, workroom)

   • Acknowledge their point.
   • Keep your response short.
   • Avoid getting defensive or debating details.

   Example:

   “I hear you. This isn’t a perfect system and I get why you’re frustrated. Let me sit with this and see if there’s any room to adjust without screwing up coverage. I’ll circle back.”

2. In private (1:1)

   • Go deeper.
   • Clarify what’s flexible and what’s not.
   • Be direct about what’s driving your decision.

   Example:

   “Here’s the reality: the PD was very clear that we needed more senior coverage on nights after the recent incidents. I know that lands badly for PGY-3s. I’m trying to spread the pain evenly, not dodge it. If you see a better split that doesn’t crush the PGY-2s or interns, I’m all ears—but someone’s taking the hit.”

You’re signaling: disagreement is allowed, drama is not.

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Step 7: Set Clear Rules for “Chief You” vs “Friend You”

Your peers who also applied for chief will test this boundary, consciously or not.

Expect conversations like:

• “Can you quietly switch my call? I already told my partner we’re going away that weekend.”
• “You know I work hard. Can you just move my eval meeting? I don’t want to talk to the PD right now.”
• “Come on, you know X is lazy. Why are you protecting them?”

You need a simple mental test: if I do this for them, can I defend not doing it for everyone else?

If the answer is no, you say:

“If I do that for you, I’m going to have to do it for everyone. And then the whole system collapses. I’ll help you within the same rules everyone else gets, but I can’t bend them just for you.”

And then actually help them within the rules:

• Show them how to submit requests on time.
• Help them trade shifts using the official process.
• Coach them for the PD meeting instead of trying to dodge it.

Over time they’ll get it: you’ll support them, but you won’t cheat for them. That’s how respect looks in this role.

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Step 8: Be Transparent About How You Make Decisions

When people don’t know how you decide, they invent a story.

“He gave that elective to his buddies.” “She’s punishing the people who didn’t support her as chief.” “They only listen to the golden children.”

You fight that with process.

For any recurring thing that causes drama (scheduling, conference coverage, holidays, golden weekends, electives), do three things:

1. Write down the rules in plain language.
2. Share them with everyone.
3. Stick to them unless there’s an exceptional, explainable reason.

Here’s what that might look like:

Holiday Call Allocation by PGY Level

Category	Value
PGY1	3
PGY2	2
PGY3	1

Then say in an email:

“We’re using a simple rotation for holidays: each PGY-1 gets 3 major holiday calls, PGY-2 gets 2, PGY-3 gets 1. Seniors take more backup shifts and nights to balance this. If you want to swap, use the swap form by X date so we can keep this fair.”

You don’t have to make everyone happy. You do have to make the system visible.

If you bend a rule (family emergency, illness, etc.), own that too:

“We made an exception for Y because of a family emergency. That’s not the norm, but we’ll always consider significant circumstances like that.”

Peers who were passed over for chief will watch closely for hypocrisy here. Don’t give them ammunition.

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Step 9: Use Your PD and APDs Strategically, Not Constantly

You are not the program director. Do not cosplay as one.

At the same time, you’re not a suggestion box. When there’s real tension—especially with peers who might already resent your position—you need backup.

Bring leadership in when:

• A peer is openly undermining you in front of others.
• There’s a pattern of noncompliance that affects patient care or team function.
• You’ve tried one or two direct conversations and nothing changes.

When you talk to your PD, don’t make it about your feelings. Make it about function.

Bad:
“X doesn’t respect me as chief and it hurts.”

Better:
“X has repeatedly ignored schedule policies we agreed on as a group, and when I try to address it, they undermine the decision in front of interns. I’m worried this is affecting team culture and making it harder to implement any changes.”

Sometimes the PD will step in. Sometimes they’ll say, “This is part of your role—try this instead.” Both are fine. You’re learning, not tattle-tailing.

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Step 10: Protect Your Own Reputation Quietly, Not Defensively

People are going to talk about you. Especially the ones who wanted your job.

You cannot micromanage that. But you can manage your pattern.

Focus on three visible behaviors:

1. You show up. Early to the things that matter, prepared, not constantly bailing.
2. You own your mistakes quickly.
   • “I messed this schedule up. That’s on me. Here’s how I’m fixing it.”
3. You handle bad news directly, not through passive-aggressive emails.
   • “I wanted to tell you face-to-face before you see the new schedule. You’ve got more nights than you hoped. Here’s why, and here’s what I did to try to spread the load.”

When rumors or shade get back to you, resist the urge to go on a tour of self-defense.

A simple, confident response works:

“If anyone’s worried I’m playing favorites or making unfair calls, I’m always open to specific examples and feedback. My door’s open.”

And then continue doing the work.

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A Simple Mental Model: Three Buckets of Peers

Most chiefs overcomplicate the politics of this. You can simplify your life by realizing your peers will fall into three groups.

Chief Resident Peer Groups

Step	Description
Step 1	All Senior Residents
Step 2	Supportive
Step 3	Neutral
Step 4	Resistant or Bitter
Step 5	Engage deeply
Step 6	Keep informed
Step 7	Address directly

1. Supportive

   • Some applied for chief, didn’t get it, but genuinely want to help.
   • Give them real responsibility. Listen to them. They are your force multipliers.

2. Neutral

   • Don’t really care about leadership politics. Want their lives to be predictable and tolerable.
   • Keep them informed. Involve them occasionally. Don’t dump everything on them.

3. Resistant/Bitter

   • Often high-achieving, feel overlooked or wronged.
   • Address issues directly, privately. Offer meaningful roles if they’re willing.
   • Do not let them hijack group culture, and don’t walk on eggshells around them.

Your goal is not to convert everyone to your fan club. Your goal is to keep the resistant group from poisoning the neutral group.

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FAQs

1. Should I tell people why I think I was chosen over others?

No. That’s a trap. You didn’t choose yourself and you don’t see the full selection process. If someone asks directly:

“Honestly, that’s a PD and leadership question. I just know I’m in the role now, and I’m trying to use it to make this year better for all of us. If there are things you think I’m missing or could do better, I’m open to that.”

You do not speculate, and you definitely don’t compare yourself to specific peers out loud.

2. What if a peer who was also a candidate is actively undermining me?

First, one direct private conversation:

“I’m getting the sense that you don’t support some of the decisions I’m making as chief. That’s okay—we won’t always agree. But when you question those decisions in front of interns or on rounds, it makes it harder for me to do the job and confuses the team. I’d rather we talk disagreements 1:1 and present a united front, even if that united front is ‘we’re still working on this.’”

If it continues, document specific instances and loop in your PD. Not to punish them, but to keep the residency culture from rotting.

3. How do I balance advocating for residents with not burning bridges with faculty?

Default stance: you are on the residents’ side, but you are not their weapon.

When residents want you to take something to leadership, filter it:

• Is this a pattern or a one-off bad day?
• Is there a patient safety or serious wellness issue?
• Is this something that will matter three months from now?

When you go to faculty/PD:

• Use “we” not “they”: “We’re really struggling with X as a class.”
• Bring at least one possible solution, not just a complaint.
• Acknowledge their constraints: “I know service coverage is tight, but…”

You build trust on both sides by being rational, specific, and willing to see the whole picture—not just siding reflexively with whoever’s loudest that week.

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Bottom line:

1. Name the awkwardness and then behave in ways that are boringly consistent and fair.
2. Treat peers who were also chief candidates as assets, not threats—and give them real ways to contribute.
3. Protect trust by being transparent about processes, strict about favoritism, and calm but firm when people cross lines.