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Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast orthopedic surgeon and educator, Dr. Alan Reznik.

In essence, there are two types of employees. Employee A is happy in their work, puts their nose to the grindstone, and does their job to the best of their abilities. They’re also very loyal, enjoy socializing with their colleagues, and content with where they are in their careers. Employee B is also qualified and does a good job, but maybe isn’t as sociable with their colleagues and isn’t as “settled in their chair.” This employee is more likely to revise their resume and search for new jobs or promotions regularly.

As a person who manages employees, which employee would you rather have on your team? Of course, you’re always going to have a mix of both types of employees (and not every employee will fall perfectly into each category), but it’s a productive thought experiment. Many managers assume that having all Employee As on their team is the best-case scenario, there’s value in considering why Employee B might be preferred.

Because they’re so entrenched in their job, Employee A may be more cautious in their work and reticent to take risks and bring new ideas to the table that might cost them their job. Employee B, on the other hand, challenges the employer to make the workplace continually better.

What steps does Alan suggest we do to incorporate this information into our professional lives?

• Step 1 - Take a look at your colleagues and try to recognize those who fall into the Employee A and Employee B categories.
• Step 2 - Now look inward and try to identify these traits in yourself. Are you more of an Employee A or an Employee B? Recognizing where you fall on this spectrum can help you make better decisions about your career.

Most importantly, practice supporting employee satisfaction!

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

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• Jeffrey M. Smith, MD, FACS, PCC, orthopaedic trauma surgeon and SurgeonMasters CEO.
• Dr. Jim Naples, a Harvard ENT at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Jim Doorley, PhD, CMPC, Clinical and Sports Psychologist for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Research Fellow in Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School

In this episode of the SurgeonMasters Podcast, Jeffrey M. Smith, MD, FACS, PCC interviews a Harvard ENT specialist James Naples, MD, and clinical sports psychologist, Jim Doorley. They discuss integrating psychological strategies from sports performance into surgical training, emphasizing the importance of mental fitness, emotional regulation, and resilience in enhancing surgical performance and how it relates to addressing physician burnout.

The discussion underscored the importance of mental resilience and psychological skills for surgical success, paralleling their significance in sports. James Naples, MD, and Jim Doorley highlighted techniques for immediate recovery from intraoperative mistakes and long-term well-being strategies. Efforts are underway to develop a customized curriculum for surgical trainees to address their specific performance mindset needs and challenges. The conversation also addressed balancing emotional detachment and empathy in medicine and how the process relates to physician burnout. Additionally, there was a light-hearted debate on the pros and cons of listening to music in the OR, reflecting diverse preferences among surgeons. Finally, the team addressed the need for institutional support in providing resources and training to enhance surgeons' mental fitness and overall performance.

Here are 10 highlights from the podcast:

1. Surgical Mindset vs. Performance Mindset:
2. Challenges in Surgical Training
3. Initial Collaboration and Goals
4. Curriculum Development
5. Key Skills and Topics
6. Experiential Learning
7. Broader Mental Fitness Concepts
8. Performance and Resilience
9. Burnout and Emotional Management
10. Institutional Support

Overall, the podcast underscores the critical role of psychological training in enhancing surgical performance and the need for a comprehensive approach to integrating these skills into surgical education.

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!

Send us a Text Message.

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast executive coach and former healthcare system leader, Theresa “T” Hamilton-Casalegno, ACC, FACHE.

In this episode, Theresa broaches the neuroscience of coaching – a fascinating and extensive topic that can’t be fully covered in one podcast – to address how the coaching relationship benefits physicians.

She tells us that certain parts of the brain light up when we hold people in what’s called a naturally creative, resourceful, and whole state. In other words, professionals will usually rise to the occasion when given the chance. As a coach, this is a great way to approach conversations with clients, as it makes them much more open to learning and creating long-lasting change.

What steps does Theresa suggest we take to implement neuroscience concepts into coaching sessions?

• Step 1 - Be Curious Rather than Trying to Solve a Problem. It’s all about the coach asking open-ended questions and being curious, as opposed to making assumptions and giving instructions to try and solve a problem. On the receiving end of coaching, know that your curiosity is also critical to growing and achieving your best self.
• Step 2 - Help People Work from a Position of Strength. Focus on a person’s strengths and help them determine how they can use those strengths to accomplish their goals. As a coaching client and probably performance-driven self-critic, first shifting your thinking towards your strengths creates a more open mind for constructive feedback.
• Step 3 - Ask Disruptive Questions. New learning and growth come from the ability to challenge assumptions, limiting beliefs, or current thinking. Give people space to think about a different way of doing something. We don’t need to change beliefs or values.

Most importantly, PRACTICE positivity, curiosity, and developing new neuro pathways in coaching sessions!

Bio: Theresa “T” Hamilton-Casalegno, ACC, FACHE

Certified Executive Coach – Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business

Theresa “Terri” Hamilton has spent more than 30 years in executive leadership positions, including fifteen years as Chief Executive Officer and Vice President of a regional healthcare system; five years as a Chief Executive and Vice President of a for-profit hospital; and twelve years in high-tech publishing as a Publisher and Vice President.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Emmanuel College, Boston, Massachusetts, and a Master of Science in Health Administration from Simmons University, Boston. Terri is also a Board Certified Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

SurgeonMasters is a physician peer community dedicated to improving the personal and professional well-being of physicians.

Join your colleagues online at SurgeonMasters.com for events, resources, and more.

PRACTICE Your Best!