Navigating Leadership as a Young Doctor
When I graduated from my residency program at the age of 29, I was very excited to finally begin my career as an Orthodontist. I was looking forward to putting my years of education to use and transforming patient’s smiles. Admittedly, I was very nervous about starting a new job, meeting new staff members, and new patients among many other unknown factors.
I had given very little thought to the idea of leading an entire team of assistants and staff members, most of which were older than me. Up until that point I had always been a student or a resident under the leadership of someone else. Now they would all be looking to me as their leader.
I had a wide range of assistants from mid-twenties to women who had been working in my field almost as long as I had been alive. I wondered what they would think about my age, but I had to realize at the end of the day my age didn’t matter. My education mattered. I made a conscious decision to develop a leadership style that not only encouraged a positive and supportive work environment, but also commanded respect.
Here are a few pearls I have taken away from some of my favorite books and incorporated into my leadership style:
Lead by example. I will never ask my staff members to do anything I wouldn’t do. I won’t hesitate to jump in and help, clean chairs and assist where necessary to maintain a good workflow. I do my best to always start everyday with positivity and good energy. I set the mood and the intentions for our day in our morning huddle and lead with a heart of gratitude. Granted, every day may have it’s challenges, but it makes a tremendous difference when you set the tone and lead with good energy from the beginning.
Be respectful. Patients, staff and myself are all deserving of respect, no matter the situation. I speak to my staff members in a respectful way, and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ I know this seems incredibly simple, as we all learned this as kids, but it truly goes along way. You would be surprised how many times I’m told that previous doctors treated them poorly, cursed at them and even threw instruments. When patients recognize the level of respect I have for my staff members, I believe they respond in a similar manner. On the other hand, I never allow disrespect from any patient to my staff, in person or via telephone. I make it very clear if a patient is being rude or disrespectful to my staff that this behavior is not tolerated and I have had to dismiss a few patients from the practice along the way. If you take care of and protect your staff, they will do the same in return.
Build relationships. Take a little time to really get to know your team members and things they enjoy. We spend more time at work then we do at home sometimes, so I really place value in genuinely getting to know my staff and their family if they choose to share. I do my best to be respectful of family obligations and personal situations outside of work, while keeping professional boundaries.
Set expectations and goals. I am very clear about having high expectations in terms of clinical treatment as well as pleasant patient experiences, and timeliness. Not only do I set high expectations, but I ensure my staff have proper training available and education in these areas. It is unreasonable to have high standards if you don’t offer continuing education and/or proper training to uphold these standards and provide excellent patient care.
Give feedback. Good and bad, but I always try to start and end any conversation with positive feedback.
Listen. In order to grow as a leader and as a professional, I believe receiving feedback of my own is crucial. Listening goes a long way.
Maintain professionalism and set boundaries. There is always a fine line between maintaining professionalism and becoming too friendly. I believe everyone has their own comfort level in this area. My team really feels like a family because we have built relationships. No matter what my relationship is with my team, I expect professionalism at all times in front of patients and to be called by the appropriate title. It was very important for me to set these boundaries early since I am a young doctor that is easily mistaken for an assistant. Before the pandemic, I wore a white coat to distinguish myself from the staff, because I am too often told how young I look, white coat or not. It is possible to build relationships, while also maintaining professionalism as long as clear boundaries are set from the beginning.
Have fun. We only get one life to live. This year alone as taught us that life can be incredibly short, so why not have some fun along the way while we do the work that we love.
I have learned a lot over the last three years in my career and as a leader, and I certainly have much more to learn. I have seen my leadership style evolve over time and I expect it to as I continue to grow and mature in my career. I always tell my staff that we are humans, providing care and service to other humans. We are all human, battling our own unique fights behind closed doors, so let’s treat each other kindly. Kindness goes a long way, so my goal is to always lead with a kind heart.
Here are a few of my favorite books on the topic of leadership:
Good to Great by Jim Collins
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. /Spencer Johnson, M.D.
The Memo by Minda Harts
