Summation of
2006: Discoveries, Challenges, Insights
Francine
R. Gaillour, MD, MBA, FACPE
As a year-end summation, I want
to share with my Daring Doctors readers a few professional
"ah-ha's," new learnings, and energizing moments I've
experienced as coach and consultant this past year.
Books and
Resources I've Recommended Most Often
I routinely recommend articles,
books, or other resources to clients, and this year, these three
landed on top of the heap:
Leaders Create Dialogue
for Problem Solving. This is a short 2-page primer
on how to ask open-ended questions to achieve fruitful
dialogue and ultimately buy-in and results from colleagues.
I observe that clients greatly appreciate help with
"scripting" (see next entry: Most Intense Coaching
Moments) click
here to read the web version of this resource
Primal
Leadership Daniel Goleman
et al (or the
shorter version of the same topic in the Harvard Business
Review). The concept of and importance of being
"self-aware" is a new one for almost every
physician client---no matter what their
"presenting" issues or goals are. You may
think you are coming across as a prince (or duchess), but
others may be perceiving you as a frog. This is a good
resource to start shedding toad-y-ness.
Million
Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss has
an excellent discussion on how to set your consulting
fees. Alan was my mentor for a while and he's a wealth
of knowledge. I've recommended this book several times to my
clients as we work together to get their first healthcare consulting
business off the ground.
Most Intense
Coaching Moments for my Clients
Definitely the most intense
moments for my clients are what I call "sales
coaching." These are the instances when my client has
to sell themselves, their idea, or a proposal (usually face to
face, one-on-one) and specifically these top three:
- Asking for
what they want (e.g. money)
- Asking a
peer to reconsider a position or behavior
- Guiding or
influencing a resistant boss to change a decision
What we do first is a LOT of
strategizing , which generally involves four steps: 1)
What is the best outcome you want from this encounter, 2) What
is that person fearful of? 3) What is the "win' for
that person? and 4) How can we enter into the conversation
with guards down, not up?
Next I generally "talk
out" the script in a way that my client would say it, using
their tone, their mannerisms, vocabulary. They get a feel
for how it sounds and how it will flow, and then they do it for
real.
[Note: Having worked as a sales
and marketing executive in healthcare technology, I appreciate
the fine art of influencing and selling and do not
consider either a dirty word.]
New Training
I Completed: Leadership and Self-Deception
This year I completed an
intense training in leadership and team development based on the
book, "Leadership and Self-Deception." The book
is a fable that dramatizes the approach of the Arbinger
Institute, the books' author. In a nutshell the philosophy
is that most dysfunction in organizations stems from individuals
"deceiving" themselves into thinking they are focused
on results (or quality, or patient care), when in fact they are
focused on their own self-interest. I know, no big news
here.
What resonated with me about
the approach, however, was a novel way to introduce the concept
and train teams to "break the cycle." I will be
incorporating these techniques in the seminars I conduct for
healthcare teams.
Document I Edit
Most Critically for Clients
Many of my clients are
publishing articles for the first time (and two this year are
publishing books for the first time!). Although I don't
consider myself a literary expert, there are three areas I
frequently "red mark":
The title - If you're
going to write an article, unless it's going to NEJM, craft
a catchy, compelling title that also signals your point of
view. There's too much competing information out there
and you risk getting lost.
First paragraph - Use
a short story or vignette to get to the point of the problem
you are addressing, and then use the last line of the
paragraph to hint at the solution you will introduce in your
article.
Byline- My clients
are emerging thought leaders, speakers, consultants.
We labor over the byline to ensure it reflects their
expertise and intrigues readers to look them up.
My Radical
Views on Physician Resumes
I was interviewed recently for
the January issue of "Unique Opportunities," a
journal published for physicians and recruiters. The
pointers I offer are "how to create a good
resume." I have to warn you that my views may come
off as a little radical.
Having helped dozens of clients
transform their resumes, I offer a few of my quotes:
I have never seen a
physician [client's] resume that I thought was any good.
A resume is marketing
collateral and you must approach it as such and focus on
headlines, subheadings and verbs.
Don't ever send a resume
to people you don't know.
The resume is at best
only a third step and perhaps a completely unnecessary
step. The first step is researching the company you
are approaching and figuring out what problems you can help
them solve.
Major
Physician Programs in the Works for
2007
Look for an announcement from
me just after the first of the year. You may recall that I
surveyed my readers about 2 months ago about what's challenging
you. I used that data, plus my the feedback from my
individual clients to design THREE new programs that will be
launching in February. Stay tuned!
Francine R. Gaillour, MD, MBA,
FACPE, is an Executive and Career Coach for Physicians and
Director of the Physician Coaching Institute, a member-based
organization for healthcare coaches. Dr. Gaillour
specializes in physicians who are venturing into new territory
as leaders, consultants, speakers, and career adventurers. She
can be reached at (206) 686-4205, francine@physicianleadership.com
Contact
Dr. Gaillour at (206) 686-4205 or through the Contact Form
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