Happy New Year! I can still say that, right? It feels like a long time since my last post…I have traveled to two countries over the past six weeks or so, had a temperature change of about 70 degrees and went from a beach to a mountain in a little over 72 hours. Not a bad holiday.
As I think about what is driving me in this next phase of my career, I realize it is the desire to bring kindness into healthcare. It is no small feat. As an industry we are taught that we have to work hard and “beat others” to get into a competitive program. Funding is limited, and we have to prove our worth to make sure we get the dollars to keep us employed. It is a race to get the “next big breakthrough” in research. Leadership positions are coveted and competitive – and always prone to scrutiny in times of fiscal constraint. Medical school and residency are gruelling and demanding. Time is scarce. No wonder we have issues collaborating, fostering a sense of psychological safety and growing trusting relationships.
So – my little piece of the world for the next several years is exploring how do we bring kindness into medical practice? How do we lift up others? How do we support good ideas? Mindsets are foundational, coaching to support those mindsets is an imperative, and then the subsequent congruent behaviour is the capstone.
To that end, Vered and I put together a short podcast on practical HR tips and approaches that can improve your workplace, and make it kind. This episode is about how you can use policies that you have to legally have in place to open up a different kind of dialogue. Vered’s view on how systems can shift by small steps is quite brilliant.
So work hard, and be nice. Happy listening!