In two months, 4th year medical students are graduating and moving into their internships, becoming the primary providers on patient care teams. By the end of June, senior residents will complete their training and embark on the next leg of their journey as physicians in private practice, as hospitalists, as the attending on new teams, or pursing additional training in fellowship programs. And in between residents are moving up, stepping up, and assuming new leadership roles and patient responsibilities.
How prepared are you for your next level of success?
How do you optimize your strengths?
How do you position yourself for life-long learning?
Where is the plan or guidebook for you to follow?
Or, are you merely going to follow in the footsteps of a physician before you?
The greatest difference between being a student in the classroom and being a student in life is the lack of a core curriculum. As a student in life, which we all are, we have the opportunity to design a curriculum that honors you. Sure, you will continue to operate within the structure of your office, practice, or hospital setting. The advantage is that you can honor your unique qualities in the process. How is that possible, especially in a field that has its own rules? You begin with your mission statement.
Wherever you are in your medical career, professional and personal life, you are on the verge of something new. That is if you choose to be. You can put in place the success habits you need to create the life and career that you desire. It’s possible for you even if medical school and residency training are in your distant past.
Each new day brings with it the opportunity to chart a new course as the leader of your life. 5 Steps to Leadership Success provides a template to get started. This month’s Mastery In Medicine Tip and Progress Notes focused on:
- Identifying your mission statement
- Creating a success team
- Assigning team members roles that aligned with their area of expertise
- Moving forward with feedback
- Staying on course
This week’s Progress Notes wraps up the discussion by exploring how feedback and course correction are valuable tools to achieving your desires outcome.
Success is seldom a straight line. It is a series of ups and downs, peaks and valleys that eventually land you exactly where you desire to be. Appreciating all the steps along the way is a key success habit that keeps you moving forward even in the face of adversity rather than getting stopped in your tracks.
The obstacles encountered along the way are really just feedback. Most often feedback has a negative association. We assume we have done something wrong. We didn’t get it right. We failed. In fact feedback is the open window to learning and viewing the experience from another perspective. From this new perspective we can now make a different, maybe even a better, course of action that will bring us even closer to our goals.
So how do you feel about feedback? Is it positive, negative, or maybe neutral? Over the next few days bring your awareness to the different types of feedback you receive and consider:
- What is your emotional response to feedback?
- How do you feel when you have to give someone else feedback?
- What do you learn from feedback?
- What new way can you view feedback so that it can become your ally rather than your foe?
About Dr. Stephanie Wellington
Dr. Stephanie Wellington is a coach and mentor for physicians and their teams who know they want more from their life and career. Her passion for teaching and personal development has guided her to compliment her medical career with becoming a certified professional coach. This has given birth to Nurturing MDs, a sacred space where medical professionals embrace life skills and success strategies for a medical career and life they love. Get Instant Access to FREE Mastery In Medicine Monthly Tips and Progress Notes at www.NurturingMDS.com. Email Stephanie@NurturingMDS.com to schedule a FREE consultation to discover which strategies are best for you.
