What Holds Us Back from Being Assertive? Are we fearful of being seen as too aggressive, bossy, pushy? Are we uncertain of the legitimacy of our beliefs? Are we trying to make others happy or protect their perceived vulnerability? Do we not really understand what assertiveness is? Probably a mixture of all of these and …
Self-Leadership represents the cornerstone of being able to fully function as a thriving, self-determining individual. A working definition from Andrew Bryant and Ana Kazan (2012) describes it as follows: “Self-Leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling and actions towards your objective/s.” Bryant and Kazan’s definition encompasses: Cultivation of a powerful vision Creation …
When I think of the physicians that I have known who I find truly inspirational, it is their soft skills, in addition to their hard skills, that truly set them apart. They might have been world famous, but their humility, compassion, humor, ability to listen resulted in patient care and leadership that transcended the science of …
How can you leave clinical medicine and still make a difference? What can replace the privilege of hearing a patient’s story and being part of another human being’s journey through illness, sorrow, joy, relief? Bearing witness to the gamut of human experience and emotions is after all the essence of being a physician. Yet, there …
“We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing-an actor; a writer–I am a person who does things–I write, I act–and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.” Stephen Fry Brainstorming …
Physician Career Transition- Shifting from a Noun to a Verb! Read More »
In her 2017 comprehensive paper, “Finding Solutions To The Problem Of Burnout“, early and preeminent researcher Christina Maslach clearly articulates the importance of looking at all aspects of the burnout epidemic in order to address how to solve it. Importantly, she reiterates expanding the focus from trying to fix the people, to shining a …
What comes up for you when you feel that you are in the midst of chaos? Do you feel like you are in situations that are unfamiliar and spinning out of control? Where …
A Physician Self-Compassion Prescription for Chaos Read More »
When you have spent your education , training and practice following the linear path of clinical medicine it can be daunting to consider changing gears and switching to a non-clinical career in medicine, or to explore opportunities completely outside of the healthcare arena. Does the task seem so overwhelming and fraught with fear and …
What Other Careers can Physicians Transition Into? Read More »
I recently had a conversation with Dr. James Ramage, who retired in 2018 as a pulmonary and critical care physician. Our discussion highlighted the value of dedicating time and bringing thoughtfulness to the decision of leaving clinical practice and embracing the opportunities of retirement. Dr. Ramage’s career trajectory began at Georgia Tech; then pre-med at …
Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician Retires- Happily “Untethered”. Read More »
When I listen to all the external factors that create frustration and anguish for my coaching clients, it is tempting to want to simply put my head in my hands and “despair” with them. Limited face to face interaction with their patients, dysfunctional EMRs, institutionalized disrespect, intrusive measures of performance and productivity are some …
Physician Self-Leadership: Keep your Hands on the Steering Wheel of your Life Read More »
