John O’Donahue’s blessing, “For a Leader”, evokes the essence of great leadership as it emerges from the qualities and insights of self-leadership. “May you work on yourselfBuilding up and refining the ways of your mind. May those who work for you knowYou see and respect them. May you learn to cultivate the art of presenceIn order to […]
“….my understanding is that the first step to take in having a real conversation is simply to stop having the one that you are having now.By definition the courageous conversation is the conversation that you’re not having nowand also, by definition the courageous conversation is the one that you don’t want to haveand the courageous
Courageous Conversations Read More »
Discovering the profound dissonance between their values and those expressed, overtly or covertly, by their workplace is a common theme with many of my physician clients. Initially, they may experience a degree of relief at recognizing that this conflict underlies much of the frustration, anger, anxiety and even sadness that they are experiencing with their
Misalignment of Values: The Canary in the Mine Read More »
“The only true voyage would be not to travel through a hundred different lands with the same pair of eyes, but to see the same land through a hundred different pairs of eyes.” Marcel Proust Entrepreneur, investor and author, Tim Ferris, opens his fascinating book Tribe of Mentors with the quote above. Turning 40 and feeling at
Building Your Tribe Read More »
I was so infuriated by a client’s emotional account as a recipient of lousily delivered feedback, that I immediately began to pen a blog on the inadequacies of feedback. This has long been an area of concern in medicine, given that feedback provides the backbone of how we learn. Concerns range from feedback underuse (sometimes
The Transformative Skill of Receiving Feedback Well Read More »
When we think of our strengths, it is tempting to concentrate on those skills that we have honed and narrowly focused on over the years, as increasing specialization and sub-specialization have become conventional wisdom for success. In the process of doing so what we may in fact be doing is not only building in a
Embracing the Mosaic of all your Talents Read More »
“It seemed to be a necessary ritual that he should prepare himself for sleep by meditating under the solemnity of the night sky… a mysterious transaction between the infinity of the soul and the infinity of the universe.” ~ Victor Hugo Rituals, both religious and secular have been part of human cultures the world over,
Changing Routine to Ritual Read More »
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
The Authentic Art of Assertiveness Read More »
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
The Unique Power of Self-Leadership Read More »
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
Do Physicians Know Their “Soft Skills”? Read More »
