Are
You in Your "Career Groove"? 3 Indicators to
Look At
by
Francine R. Gaillour, MD, MBA, FACPE, Executive and Career Coach
for Physicians
I
recently spent a long weekend visiting my parents in
Albuquerque and while I was getting ready for my daily
morning walk, I heard a familiar voice blaring from their 3
television sets that reminded me how
sweet it is to be in your "career groove."
 The
clarion call I heard was this: "Mary Jane, come on
down!"
The
voice was Rod Roddy, side-kick to 83-year old master of
masters of ceremony, Bob Barker, the 30-year veteran
host of "The Price is Right."
Every
time I visit my parents I get my regular dose of Bob Barker (my
parents are close to his age and are huge "Bob"
fans). Plus I get to marvel at Bob Barker's authentic
energy.
Barker
is a vivid and marvelous poster-gentleman for a unique human
situation that few people achieve.
What
is that situation? No, it's not the money. It's something more significant:
Bob
is a guy who is completely in his "career groove."
What
is a Career Groove and Why Should You Care?
So
what exactly does it mean to be in your career groove?
For
one it means you love your work so much, you can keep on
doing it and loving it all the way into retirement and
beyond.
And
it means one more thing: what you're doing is perfectly aligned
with your natural gifts and talents. You bring your
WHOLE self to work.
So,
what does it matter to you or anyone if you're NOT in your
career groove? It matters
foremost to you, and secondarily to your community.
Where
are you on the "Joy-Meter?"
From
my perspective, a lot of physicians live their life somewhere
between "outwardly successful but not completely
content" and "professionally constrained and wanting
more."
Life
goes on, years pass, children grow up, you take vacations, you
get a new car, you sit on a hospital committee, you go to a CME
conference.
I
knew a physician once many years ago who at the end of each
day would count down: "Only 11 years, 5 months and 3 days
to go before I retire." He took vacations and went
skiing, had a nice family remarried . . . and yet he was
resigned to the countdown.
Not
being in your career groove doesn't mean that you are
experiencing a career crisis or even burnout---but something
important is missing.
That
missing element is this:
The
opportunity to be MORE COMPLETELY engaged (body, mind,
spirit) and more completely OF SERVICE to the
world.
It
is from that level of engagement that we experience pure
joy.
"Career
Groove Indicators" - See Where You Are
Here
are three indicators to gauge if how well you are in your own
Career Groove --- and in the next issue of Daring Doctors, I'll
share some thoughts on how to "get your groove back."
|
Career
Groove Indicator |
| Scoring: For
each Indicator Statement score yourself as follows |
- 3
points: I am completely aligned
- 2
points: I want to be aligned, and am in the process of
taking steps now to be completely aligned
- 1
point: I want to be aligned, but not sure of the next
steps
|
| |
Career Groove
Indicator #1:
I look forward to every day
and look ahead to the near horizon with a sense of optimism.
|
| |
Career Groove
Indicator #2:
I am developing mastery in
some aspect of my work---mastery based on recognition of my
passion, natural talents and gifts.
|
| Note: your mastery can
be in a clinical area, a leadership domain, a communication skill
(see my client, Dr. Doug above), a creative path, or something
unrelated to medicine. |
| |
Career Groove
Indicator #3:
I have no regrets about the
course my life is taking right at this moment and feel
grateful for everything and everyone around me.
|
| Note: One way to
answer this is, What if you or a loved one were struck down; are you
focusing your energy on what you care about most? What
barriers do you want to remove, or conversations do you need to
have, or actions would you take in order to feel "no
regrets"? |
What
does your score indicate?
If
you scored between 8 and 9: Congratulations!
You're in your career groove or heading fast in that direction. Find
someone to mentor!
If
you scored between 6 and 7: Your
career groove is not far away. You know what to do next,
so what is holding you back?
If
you scored between 3 and 5: Your
desire is strong, but if the "next steps" elude you,
it's time to seek outside help.
You
might be asking yourself: But as a doctor, am I not already
"being of service" to the world, and isn't that
"groove" enough?
The
answer is No, Yes, and Maybe:
-
No,
if you're not spiritually engaged in what you're
doing,
-
Yes,
if you are completely engaged, and
-
Maybe,
if can bring your total repertoire of natural talents,
strengths and gifts to work every day
So
why not go for gold and "pure joy"?
In
a future issue I will delve deeper into how to find your
career groove and ways to get aligned. In the meantime think
about what natural strengths, talents or gifts you were meant to
share with world. Once you put these to serve, PURE JOY is
the natural by-product!
Francine R. Gaillour, MD, MBA,
FACPE, is an Executive and Career Coach for Physicians. Dr. Gaillour
specializes in physicians who are venturing into new territory
as leaders, entrepreneurs, and career adventurers. She
can be reached at (206) 686-4205, francine@physicianleadership.com
or use the
Contact Form
|
Here
is my client, Dr. Doug Fullington, a busy and thriving Internist from
North Carolina, and that's me watching a video of the speech he
recently gave at his home hospital to RAVE reviews. Way
to go, Doug!
Career
Expansion Ideas for Doctors: 51+ Non-Clinical Career Paths
for Physicians Seeking Additional
Streams of Income or Career Transition