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. . . if you feel like you "missed out" on a big
opportunity or that other colleagues are getting further ahead
of you in their practice or professional life, maybe it's time
to examine . . .
What
is Your Career Lens: Scarcity or Abundance?
by
Francine R. Gaillour, MD, MBA, FACPE, Executive and Career Coach
for Physicians
Do
you frequently have moments of fear that you might not get the "reward"
or the promotion, or the position, or the assignment, or the
referrals, or the patients, or the funding, or the career growth
you want? If you answered yes, and if you believe you are
"just as qualified" as the other guy, it is possible
that your "fear of lack" is actually limiting
your opportunities to expand your professional and business
life.
In
my work coaching physicians, I often find that a common
"personal bias" that holds some of them back from
growing and transforming their career is that they view their world
view from a lens of scarcity. [And p.s. this attitude is one
that held me back for many years, and still sometimes
rears its head to slow me down.]
A
Lens of Scarcity Can Sabotage Your Progress
 When
you view the world as if there is not enough to go around and
you might not get your share, here is what you might
experience:
1)
One physician, "D. B", was so fearful that his
full medical practice would drop off when another physician in
the same specialty came into town that he became sullen to the
point of wanting to leave medicine altogether. He even
became distrustful of his staff, wondering if they were going
to divert overflow patients to the other doctor.
It
wasn't until the other physician approached him repeatedly
about sharing call and adding additional services they could
promote together that Dr. B started seeing the world through a
lens of abundance. There was plenty of work to go
around and the growth opportunities were actually greater
when he enlarged his circle to include more team members.
2)
"Dr. H" had been a regional medical director for
several years and had seen a couple of peers get ahead with
"plum" assignments that put them in the inner circle
with the CEO and executive team. He was given different assignments
which he labeled as "consolation prizes." He
started hoarding information and was reluctant to share his
insights and ideas with his professional peers for fear they
would get further ahead and he would not.
Through
his lens of scarcity, when someone advanced in their career,
it automatically meant that he took a step
backward. The sad fact was his attitude of
scarcity was actually signaling to others that he was
"closed" to new ideas and projects.
Once
he assessed his true strengths, however, and learned how to
use his accomplishments to position himself more strategically,
he was able to relax and be more forthcoming and
cooperative. He received more "plum"
assignments and was eventually promoted. Looking back he
realized that there was an abundance of plum assignments to go
around.
How
to Develop an "Abundance" Frame of Mind
If
you want to expand your possibilities and grow your career, an
important early step is to shift your thinking away from
scarcity and toward abundance. There IS something
out there for you, your vision WILL come true AND it will happen
quicker once you stop seeing other people's success as a hindrance
to your own, and especially once you stop making your peers
the "culprit" in your drama of scarcity.
Here
are two essential strategies to developing a mindset of
Abundance:
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Know
your own strengths and unique talents.
These are yours and nobody is going to take them
away from you. The more you thoroughly
understand and develop your strengths the more you
can rely on them to power your career. Don't
try to be "the other guy" just because
you think that's the only way to get ahead.
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-
Position
yourself for recognition. You position
yourself for recognition not by "hoping"
for it. Rather, you build a portfolio of
accomplishments and set yourself up for more
achievements, AND you get input and feedback every
step of the way from your supervisor, trusted mentor
and supportive allies within and outside your
organization. The more you open yourself up
for BOTH the achievements AND the guidance, well. .
. . the more abundance comes your way.
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Where
Are You on the Abundance Meter?
Just
in case you don't know where you are on the Scarcity - Abundance
meter, for the next week ask yourself these two
questions:
Your
action plan is to help you honestly assess your "lens"
on the world. If you answered "yes" to those
questions during the course of the week, there is a good chance
your scarcity mentality is holding you back from the true career
success you want. It's time to make a mind shift to
"abundance"!
Francine R. Gaillour, MD, MBA,
FACPE, is an Executive and Career Coach for Physicians. Dr. Gaillour
specializes in helping 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
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