Last week I asked a group of about 30 medical directors to do a thought experiment with me. I asked them to imagine that their hospital was going to hire someone and that they get to request one characteristic or attribute for the new hire to have. I broke them up into small groups and waited to hear what mixture of traits the five groups would come back with.
Well, they didn’t come back with much of a mixture at all. Amazingly, they all returned with basically the same short wishlist.
Here it is:
- Strong communication skills – An ability to listen and articulate clearly what was needed
- Positivity – A refusal to slide into the common trap of focusing on the negative
- Adaptability – A willingness to change what they are doing without six follow-up meetings
No one asked for super-intelligence, high technical acumen, or surgical skills. They didn’t request that this person be able and willing to teach others, generate large amounts of revenue, or even take work off the shoulders of the medical director. No one asked for a willingness to work overnights, mediate staff conflict, or treat every client like gold.
If you are someone who wants to continuously improve yourself, or even if you are just someone who wants to be highly valued, I think these three requests are both instructive and encouraging. After all, these three attributes are well within our control as individuals and can generally be demonstrated if we just decide to do so. All we have to do is commit.
Communication
We all know becoming a good communicator can take a lot of time and effort. It’s a skill made up of a lot of other skills, and thus it’s not something we can just “switch on” with immediate success (although a little effort can go a long way). Still, focusing on our communication skills (especially the listening part of communication) is something we can all decide to do. If you want to dig deeper into this skill and want some guidance, I would humbly recommend the Uncharted Leadership Essentials Certificate as a fantastic place to start.
Positivity
It’s fascinating that positivity has jumped to the top of the wish list for so many people. I asked one of the medical directors why she thought this was a trait that the entire group seemed to agree on and she said “Because it’s so easy to slide into the negative.” Every day, we have countless opportunities to get angry, cynical, or resentful. We can take the road to negativity when clients no-show, run late, or bring an extra pet. We can get upset when the front desk schedules an extra appointment or when they turn that appointment away. We can be disillusioned by clients who don’t seem to know anything about their pet’s health and by clients who have studied the teachings of Dr. Google extensively and have strong opinions about what their pet’s care should be.
There is no end to the opportunities for us to embrace negativity during our days. The unwillingness to take those opportunities has become something truly special. In a world where so many people around us have decided to marinate in justifiable anger, choosing optimism has come to mean a willingness to be contrary. Keeping a positive attitude takes discipline and grit. It is not easy, and I suspect that’s why it has become such a sought-after attribute. Still, if you want to be a more positive person, there is nothing holding you back from becoming that person today.
Adaptability
Every day we are told that protocols, routines, and systems make good practices. While I think there’s a lot of truth to this, I also believe we can take our desire for structure and control too far. Illness and injury are completely disinterested in our protocols, schedules, and plans. Priorities change, people act irrationally, equipment breaks down, and supplies go on backorder. Thus, the ability to “roll with it” will never go out of style.
Being adaptable means being willing to let go of both routine and the feeling of control. It also means being able to take feedback, change our behaviors, and reset expectations about how we thought our time was going to be spent.
Like being positive, being adaptable isn’t as easy as it sounds. Change is an innately painful process, and being flexible means being willing to endure this pain. Being adaptable is, however, a choice. It is a decision we can make right now that can make us better at our jobs and more valuable to our patients and teams.
Becoming our Best Selves
It’s reassuring to know that what it takes to be appreciated is often within our control. Being positive, adaptable, and a good communicator requires effort and discipline. We have to show up and decide to do these things day after day, even when we are tired or have great reasons to take the day off. Still, we have the power to become a better version of ourselves and this transformation doesn’t require advanced education, access to fancy equipment, or the permission of anyone else. We can just do it, and we can start right now.
