http://www.physicianleadership.com Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, Team Development Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:29:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 2006-2007 francine@physicianleadership.com (Creative Strategies in Physician Leadership) francine@physicianleadership.com (Creative Strategies in Physician Leadership) posts 1440 http://physicianleadership.com/images/fracine-gailour-logo07-small.jpg http://physicianleadership.com/wp 144 144 Discover Your Strengths, Leverage Your Expertise, Develop Your Potential, Rejuvenate Your Career Creative Strategies in Physician Leadership Creative Strategies in Physician Leadership francine@physicianleadership.com no no http://www.physicianleadership.com/2008/01/31/focuse-more-on-using-your-peak-experiences-not-just-your-medical-experiences/ http://www.physicianleadership.com/2008/01/31/focuse-more-on-using-your-peak-experiences-not-just-your-medical-experiences/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:14:06 +0000 Francine Gaillour http://www.physicianleadership.com/wp/2008/01/31/focuse-more-on-using-your-peak-experiences-not-just-your-medical-experiences/ http://www.physicianleadership.com/2008/01/31/focuse-more-on-using-your-peak-experiences-not-just-your-medical-experiences/feed/ 0 12:06 ----------------- A question that I am often asked by physicians who are a crossroads in their career is this: "How can I make use of all my ... ----------------- A question that I am often asked by physicians who are a crossroads in their career is this: "How can I make use of all my medical experience?" Implicit in this question is the desire and expectation that your experience as a physician or a leader should advance stepwise toward higher levels. Higher levels of responsibility, titles, status, or prosperity. Or said in a different way, you want all of your experience to have "counted" - not be wasted. Indeed that's the scariest phrase I hear some physicians voice when they are nearing a crisis point in their career: "I would hate to think all my medical experience was a waste." To think that you've "wasted" your career or training because you can't apply it all is certainly a frightening prospect to many physicians. Our time and energy is precious and we want to make the most of it. If you've ever felt this way, I want to respectfully suggest to you that we "reframe" the original question. Rather than ask "How can I make use of all my medical experience?" let's ask this question: "How can I make use of all my PEAK experiences?" Why Care about the Peak Experiences of Your Life Before you get the impression that you medical experiences as a clinician, leader or innovator are not important, let me assure you, it is most definitely worthwhile to spend time critically evaluating what you've learned and accomplished in your role as physician, physician leader, or contributor. However, it is just as important, and in fact for some of you, it will be more important, to identify those times in your life when you felt most engaged, in "flow" and alive. These may be professional moments, they may have been personal experiences. Uncovering and articulating these Peak experiences is beneficial in three ways: 1) These are the kinds of experiences where your values were being honored; therefore it's an opportunity to figure out what you actually value (not what you SAY you value) 2) Peak experiences often hold clues about our natural gifts and talents; this is especially helpful if you feeling fuzzy about what you can "do" besides medicine 3) You can look back and see whether the peak experience was of your own making or was it purely a happenstance; this helps us understand the steps required or condition to establish in order to create new peak experiences. What Can You Learn From Peak Experiences? I remember the first time I went through a Peak Experience Exercise (you'll get to do that too with instructions below). During the process I retold and recorded 3-4 experiences/stories. One of my Peak Experiences was the year I was an appointed "ambassador spokesperson" for the health system I was working for at the time (as a clinician). What made the experience "peak" for me was that I was getting out of the clinic mid day to visit employer groups and talk a about our healthcare delivery model. Digging deeper, what I discovered about myself in period of "peak" were these important points: 1) I valued the flexibility of "breaking up the day" and getting out and about, 2) I was a good communicator and could think on my feet, 3) I had a knack for distilling complex health topics into more simple ways for people to understand and take action, and 4) The steps that it took to create this experience were mostly my own doing: I had initiated a self-described role of ambassador and proposed it . Going through that Peak Experience exercise validated my values of autonomy, creative expression and connection. It also gave me some insights about how much I enjoy (in fact thrive on) being the "initiator" of new projects and programs. These were huge discoveries that propel me even to this day. How to Conduct a Peak Experience Exercise on Your Own When I work with my physician clients, we walk through the Peak Experience process together. But you walk yourself through a similar exercise. I suggest you find a buddy, and perhaps do it together and then me Career Management, Finding Your Purpose, Podcasts francine@physicianleadership.com no no http://www.physicianleadership.com/2007/11/28/what-direction-can-your-physician-career-take-three-determinants-to-examine/ http://www.physicianleadership.com/2007/11/28/what-direction-can-your-physician-career-take-three-determinants-to-examine/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:57:32 +0000 Francine Gaillour http://www.physicianleadership.com/wp/2007/11/28/what-direction-can-your-physician-career-take-three-determinants-to-examine/ http://www.physicianleadership.com/2007/11/28/what-direction-can-your-physician-career-take-three-determinants-to-examine/feed/ 0 7:29 I am preparing for a workshop I'll deliver after the first of the year for a group of Healthcare-MBA program at the University of California-Irvine. ... I am preparing for a workshop I'll deliver after the first of the year for a group of Healthcare-MBA program at the University of California-Irvine. One of the comments that has already come up from the group is this: "I just finished my MBA, but I'm lost about what to do next." Whether or not an MBA is part of your portfolio, it's helpful to start drafting your map to the future by asking yourself three questions--I call them the three determinants of professional fulfillment. Determinant #1: Which Do You Need More, Stability or Adventure? You may be in the mental frame of mind to expand your career right now, but it's possible your family or professional situation will dictate that you reduce the scope of your career expansion, and possibly the pace of your progress. If so, look at what might be a "Phase I." One physician client had an idea he wanted to pursue: develop consulting and speaking on the side of his specialty practice. His Phase I, however, was to get his practice in better shape, including more call coverage, so he could actually carve out time to develop his new career adventure. It would not have been practical--in fact it would have stressed his family life--for him to leave his practice in disaray. Another client had already set up a financial stability plan before deciding to "retire" early and launch full time into his dream of developing a nonprofit global-health foundation. Don't be discouraged if there is multi-phased approach to building out your future. One client was disappointed after deciding that Phase I for him was staying put in his practice. However, he was very productive nonetheless, and he used that year to write a book! Determinant #2: What Does Your Leverage Portfolio Look Like? The second determinant of your map to the future is the state of your "Leverage Portfolio." The "leverage portfolio" is a term I coined to describe your collection of solid achievements, noteworthy projects, results, unique experiences that will vault you into the next chapter. Developing a solid Leverage Portfolio is especially important for physicians who have spend most of their time in clinical practice or a single management role and have done little else. And sad to say, getting an MBA as your sole accomplishment, is not leverage enough. Take inventory right now and list your accomplishments, results, projects, authored articles, speeches, chapters written, committees led. If you aren't filling up a page or two, part of your map to the future will include time spent developing your portfolio. Determinant #3: What is the Story That Wants to Be Told? This third determinant may be a challenge for some of you, and yet take only 5 seconds for others. I generally don't ask my new clients "what's the dream you harbor?" What I want to uncover, rather, is "what are the stories in your life that have been leading up to the BIG STORY?" The BIG STORY is where you are destined to go, what you are meant to create, or the truths you are meant to voice. I find that physicians are often in denial--sometimes in the dark--of the big story that wants to be told in their life. Eliciting personal stories of meaning generally starts putting the puzzle pieces in place. One way to uncover your Big Story is to recall and record those times in your life when you were at your peak, or most engaged. What was happening? What about the event or situation was meaningful for you? What feedback did you get about your contribution or value? Those are the beginning threads of the story line. The three determinants are not the complete formula for future success. But going through this process is a methodical way to start creating order from confusion, uncertainty and doubt. Email me and tell me where you starting point is with these determinants. I'm always curious to hear from my Daring Doctors subscribers. Francine R. Gaillour, Career Management, Finding Your Purpose, Physician, Market Thyself, Podcasts francine@physicianleadership.com no no http://www.physicianleadership.com/2007/11/19/are-you-on-the-verge-a-noah-moment-in-your-physician-career/ http://www.physicianleadership.com/2007/11/19/are-you-on-the-verge-a-noah-moment-in-your-physician-career/#comments Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:54:04 +0000 Francine Gaillour http://www.physicianleadership.com/wp/2007/11/19/are-you-on-the-verge-a-noah-moment-in-your-physician-career/ http://www.physicianleadership.com/2007/11/19/are-you-on-the-verge-a-noah-moment-in-your-physician-career/feed/ 0 7:09 The movie preview for "Evan Almighty" had been rolling around in my head for a couple of days, and then one of my clients said ... The movie preview for "Evan Almighty" had been rolling around in my head for a couple of days, and then one of my clients said something interesting during a strategy meeting. She said "I had a Noah moment" -- in reference to a current feeling she was experiencing. It was the feeling of being compelled to make a significant move in her career. She had a sense she was about to take a step that seemed almost absurd in it's scope. The step was huge, and yet her confidence was there to match it: a supernatural moment of calling, clarity and certainty. Her first Noah moment was 20 years ago, and the big step then was going to Medical School. If you knew her atypical background, you would understand why the step was indeed on the scale of building Noah's Arc! And here she was about to take another big step in her career that promised to be "the sequel." The Pull of a Noah Momemt Think about your own career journey. Was yours a straight path from college to medical school, to practice, maybe to leadership or business? Or did you get where you are now because of some major diversions along the way? Another one of my clients started his medical career "the usual way": biology major, then medical school, then residency, 10 years of surgical practice, then leadership----and THEN a strong compelling feeling that he needed to shift. Not downsize or retire, or transition, but SHIFT, almost spiritually. After getting his "practical" MBA he felt compelled to delve into the art of healing, to fully understand and then teach the art of unconditional love (ethos, pathos) that resides at the core of non-technology based medical practice. A Noah moment indeed. It's Typical to Resist Our Noah Notions For both of the clients I mentioned, having the "Noah moment" was an important personal insight they gained through the process of introspection. But for a long time they each resisted the gravity of their calling, wanting to rationalize a way to be "more practical" or "lower my sights" or "not be so grandiose." The beauty of a Noah notion is that it doesn't let up; rather it just hangs around and waits for you. Another physician client had a Noah moment about being a force for ethical medical practice. He was called to be an ethical beacon in his specialty, which has been colored murky by pharma influence and doctors on the take. After resisting his Noah idea for over over a year because "What do I know about ethics" and "Who am to do this", he started on the path, and over the next 2 years he got trained, earned advanced credentials, started speaking, made connections, and has created an ethics curriculum for medical schools. Heed Your Noah Neon Sign One thing to keep in mind: having a Noah notion does NOT mean you have to know all the details to build out your arc! The Noah moment is the green blinking Neon sign that says: "Build this Now" Just because you don't know how exactly how to build it, does NOT mean the sign was meant for someone else. Or that you should close your eyes to the blinking Neon. The three clients I mention all saw their personal flashing neon sign; and like Noah they didn't yet know the "how to." They went with their inner Noah and learned how. Here's a hot tip: It is much more important for you acknowledge that you see the blinking sign! The "how" can be pretty straightforward, once you know the what. Is there a Noah idea that is tapping you on the shoulder right now? Are you obsessed by a "big dream" whose scope seems so ridiculously big that you are dismissing it as impossible, or trying to shrink away with a "Why me?" excuse? If not you, than who? And if not now, then when? Email me and tell me what you think your "Noah Neon" sign is telling you. I'm always curious to hear from my Daring Doctors subscribers. Francine R. Gaillour, MD, MBA, FACPE, is an Executive and Career Coach for Physicians. Dr. Gaillour specializes in helping physicians who are Career Management, Finding Your Purpose, Podcasts francine@physicianleadership.com no no