This isn’t just about doctors but since I’m working with two new clients who are, it’s helped me see something I’ve missed.
There is a book on our reading list that Larry used to quote alot called “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”
Both my doctors have hit a glass ceiling not because they aren’t great doctors…but because they suck at understanding and interacting with their fellow staff. Their board. Their team.
The hard news for them, is that what got them to be great doctors is EXACTLY what’s keeping them from becoming great leaders.
They have trained their whole life to hear a problem about “A” and look for the negative “C” that might result. They have become professional catastrophizers… figuring out what might go wrong even before it does, rushing to judge and ask the next question that either confirms or rejects their hypothesis of “B”. It works great in medicine. Dr. Martin Seligman calls it “learned pessimism” in his book “Learned Optimism” — it’s what you WANT with your doctor, your airline pilot, your insurance agent, and your lawyer. You WANT them waking up in the morning thinking about what could go wrong and making contingency plans.
But it sucks in relationships. Long before my doctor got the 2×4 at work that noone wanted to work with him, he told me he’d been getting the same message at home. From his wife.
Want to become a better leader? Practice “my way IS the highway” AND “curious George.” Practice asking questions YOU don’t know the answer to with your team — and your spouse… and your kids. Practice becoming a learner not a judger. When they tell you an “A”, don’t put on your white coat and rubber glove and try to look for the “C” that’s wrong with them so you can fix them. Unless they think they need it, people do not LIKE to be fixed.
Remain insatiably curious, but do not let your mind rush to judge. Enjoy following THEIR path staying in the moment WITH them. Discover the ONEness that happens when you get into FLOW. And the gift of what Larry called the “minstry of B-eing with”.
Remember, leaders are born to lead AND Built to Lead.
Together we improve.
BUILT TO LEAD 