To be or not to be a clinical director?

Objective: This article is designed to raise the interest of psychiatrists in the position of clinical director. Conclusions: The clinical director can improve the recovery of large numbers of mental health consumers by influencing the direction of local mental health policy, planning and funding. The effective clinical director will be an experienced psychiatrist with clinical credibility, who is present and available, leads by example, is flexible, energetic, delegates, can "manage up" and has probably undergone management training.