REMEMBER YOUR PATH to becoming an OD: high school, college, optometry school, then maybe a residency and into your first job. You might have had odd jobs along the way, but probably not in a big corporation where you were learning from great leaders.
As doctors, we’re put in a leadership role, but did we actually do the work mentally to get there? Probably not. It takes us too long to see the teams around us for what they are… Amazing people that want to help us, our patients, and our business succeed.
After starting Dr. Contact Lens and discovering all the C-Suite terms (CEO, CFO, COO, CMO, etc.), I realized I had a lot to learn about what staff really want and need.
Here are seven tips to become the leader your team is looking for:
1. Surround yourself with smarter people than you, not “Yes” people. We get better by surrounding ourselves with people that have different skills who will challenge us. This is also how great ideas come about and get implemented.
2. Read and share. All leaders are readers, but not all readers are leaders. Whether it’s podcasts or books… It is worth the effort. Everything we’re trying to do has been done before. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. And be sure to read and listen to things outside our industry.
Advertisement
3. Work on your blind spots. We all have them. But if we don’t ask what and where they are we can’t fix them. Ask your team for honest feedback … and interrupt or defend. Break it down to build it up.
4. Have a growth mindset over a fixed mindset. Dr. Kimberley Linert sees life as a sine wave; it goes up and down but is always moving forward. Learn from your past or let it continue to define you.
5. Have one hand up and one hand down. Sometimes you’re the one pulling and sometimes you are the one being pulled. There are always opportunities to help someone else or for them to help you.
6. Have great people and processes. Let those around you thrive by giving them autonomy. I’m constantly asked how I do it all … I do it all because I have great people and teams around me.
7. Understand you are a HIPPO. I learned this from Ann Hiatt, former chief of staff for Jeff Bezos. He is very aware of his HIPPO effect: the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion. Remember, with your team, if you are the first one to say what you think, they will all agree, and nothing is accomplished. Let everyone share before you to get their true perspectives.
