New Academic Year

Long-term readers of this newsletter know I often include articles not directly about medicine, but about the art of being a physician and oncologist. As the new academic year begins, several topics are worth pondering. I am sharing a recap from previous newsletters for you to review. If you're a new fellow or resident beginning your journey to become a gynecologic oncologist, welcome aboard.

How to Be a Good Fellow

Repost from Publications Update # 65

I recorded this video 2 years ago, but the discussion is relevant and timely for the start of the academic year.

Choose Your Leadership Style and Avoid Micromanaging

As a new attending or a fellow supervising a team of residents and APPs, you must decide on your leadership style—hands-on micromanager, hands-off, or something in between. Itay Talgam's interpretation of leadership styles is great.

How to help without Micromanaging?

HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2021/01/how-to-help-without-micromanaging

Medicine is Hard

On days when I feel like nothing is going my way, I read this article to reset myself. It addresses those moments of doubt—when you’re unsure if you’re making the right choice, when you’re in the middle of a meaningful conversation with a patient but aware of the clock ticking, or when you’re negotiating with administrators who want to run the cancer clinic like a high-efficiency factory, where volume takes priority. Here is my favorite line from this article:

The essence of the piece is the human factor in healthcare. Sometimes, what may seem like inefficiency is intentional—it’s part of the design, not a flaw, because providing care is not just about speed or numbers; it’s about the person in front of you.

Don't Let Perfectionism Slow You Down

“Don’t let the hope of finding a better way prevent you from starting down the best path you know of right now. This day won’t come again.”

James Clear

I highly recommend downloading and reading this article on the 'perfectionism creep' that occurs in various aspects of life, from clinical settings to mundane tasks like emails and shopping. Dr. Katta provides valuable insights that can be very helpful for many of us suffering from what she labels as "clinical perfectionism."

Don’t Let Perfectionism Slow You Down

Aiming for perfection is necessary in many job functions such as medicine and engineering. But it can be counterproductive in other situations such as writing a report or organizing your email. Learning when perfectionism is required and when not is key to high performance. Utilizing strategies to keep perfectionism in check can be helpful. Use the effort-to-benefit ratio: Before undertaking any new project, it’s important to do an accurate pre-assessment of the effort involved and compare that to the potential benefits. If you’re tasked with creating minutes of a meeting. instead of writing down what was discussed verbatim, ask your colleagues what would be helpful. Maybe what people are looking for are action items. Learn how to start: Perfectionistic concerns have been linked to procrastination in some studies. The thought of having to turn in a perfect article or analysis can lead to stress and anxiety, and task avoidance is one way to deal with these emotions. Be accepting of imperfect drafts. Once you complete an imperfect first draft, it’s much easier to iterate for better later drafts. You can also use the “cold draft” approach. For example, if you’re creating a presentation, ask an AI program to develop five important topics related to the subject of the presentation. Learn how to finish: Learning how to say that a project or report is completed and ready to be released can be challenging if you’re aiming for perfection, but it is a vital skill. One way to do that is to seek early feedback on your tasks. If your manager assigns a task without clear instructions, ask clarifying questions. If a course correction is necessary, you can do so before you’ve invested too much time and energy. You should also ask for late feedback so you can learn how close to done you are. The last 20% of a project can be incredibly frustrating, as you’re trying to fine-tune every aspect.

Harvard Business ReviewRajani Katta

Be a goat, and then you will be a GOAT one day!

Can You Create More Value?

by Loren Gary

Harvard Business ReviewHarvard Management Update

Thanks to their unique adaptations, goats climb and munch on thorny plants. They navigate challenging terrains and consume prickly bushes without harm. Their agility and climbing prowess are supported by their muscular build and specialized hoof design, allowing them to grip and balance on narrow ledges.

But the critical lesson here is that the goats adapted to go after food no other animal could! Thus adding value to the entire ecosystem by their adaptations.

At your work, can you adapt? There are not enough ovarian debulkings available -can you be the go-to person for placenta accreta cases? There is a lack of mentorship in your early career – can you be the person who builds a program for that as you navigate the challenges of an early career, thereby adding value to your department?

There is always room for adaptation. In doing so, one day, you might find that by adopting the mentality of the goat, you have become the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T).

EMPATHY

How to Sustain Your Empathy in Difficult Times

Empathic leadership is vital in today’s working world; in fact, employees demand it. But empathy can be emotionally and physically exhausting for managers. “I feel like I’m never enough,” one Fortune 100 executive recently said, “even in my empathy for my people. Anything going wrong with them means I’ve failed.” Not surprisingly, some managers believe they must make a choice: be empathic and sacrifice their personal well-being for the good of others, or back away and preserve their own emotional health. Fortunately, according to the author, a Stanford psychologist and neuroscientist, this dilemma is more apparent than real. He writes that managers can employ three strategies to lead empathically while maintaining their equilibrium. In this article he describes the strategies and presents a blueprint for the practice of what he calls sustainable empathy.

Harvard Business ReviewJamil Zaki

This is a must-read article for gynecologic oncologists. We are both at risk of compassion fatigue and falling prey to martyr syndrome.

That's it for this special Edition

Again, a warm Welcome to everyone starting their careers in Gyn Oncology.

Shitanshu Uppal