What to do when the job you have is not the one you want

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860 Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills 2 00:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260 to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor. 3 00:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340 As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients. 4 00:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380 When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find 5 00:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780 that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research 6 00:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200 program. 7 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480 Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit. 8 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580 However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs. 9 00:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200 For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians 10 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800 the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor. 11 00:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,060 Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene. 12 00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:04,640 Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast. 13 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,500 I'm your host, Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is such a pleasure to be talking with you today. 14 00:01:08,500 --> 00:01:15,280 I want to thank you for tuning in, because if you didn't tune in, I wouldn't be speaking. 15 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,320 I'm excited to share with you today's episode, which talks about what if you got the job 16 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:22,960 you didn't want. 17 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:28,020 This conversation has come up quite a bit in some of the symposiums and workshops that 18 00:01:28,020 --> 00:01:34,240 I've attended or served as a panelist on recently, and I really did want to address that concern. 19 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,280 I wanted to address that challenge, because it's a real thing. 20 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:44,340 I resonate with the experience that people are sharing of being in job situations that 21 00:01:44,340 --> 00:01:47,200 they feel like they don't want. 22 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:53,840 For many reasons, we get into these situations because we don't feel like we have a choice. 23 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,760 You don't feel like we have enough information or that people are fighting for us. 24 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:02,560 When I started my faculty career, I feel like I took my job really reluctantly, because 25 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,720 what I wanted to do was to lead a research program. 26 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:09,440 And then I was told I wasn't really qualified, and there was still so much more that I would 27 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:10,920 need to do to be able to do that. 28 00:02:10,920 --> 00:02:15,640 And I was like, well, okay, I guess I'll take this job because they're promising to support 29 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:17,400 me later if I can make it work. 30 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:22,120 But it wasn't the job I wanted, but it was also in the location I wanted, and it was 31 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:23,200 close to family. 32 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,120 So there were good points of the job. 33 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:32,600 It wasn't all bad, but it was also not the job I wanted. 34 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:37,600 And so I will tell you that I'm still in the same job as when I first started, and I love 35 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:38,600 my job today. 36 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,880 It's so fulfilling, and it's so great and so awesome. 37 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,320 And it is because over the course of 10 years, I've been remaking my job, and there have 38 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,720 been some major remakes and there have been some minor tweaks. 39 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:56,320 There have probably been more minor tweaks that led to major breakthroughs that led to 40 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,760 more minor tweaks. 41 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,240 And it's really been an ongoing journey. 42 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,920 It's still continuing to evolve because our careers continue to evolve. 43 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:10,440 And that's why I want to share with you today what to do if you get the job that you didn't 44 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:11,440 want. 45 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:17,080 There are about seven things, seven strategies to consider, because I think it's important 46 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:23,800 to recognize that the X factor in any situation is you. 47 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,520 You are absolutely the wild card in this game. 48 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:29,520 It's not the job. 49 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:30,520 It's not the institution. 50 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:31,940 It's not your mentor. 51 00:03:31,940 --> 00:03:33,800 It's not the person who's your division chief. 52 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,240 It's you. 53 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:36,240 It's you. 54 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:37,240 You're the wild card here. 55 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:42,440 And in reality, there are many challenges that surround us, and we would prefer life 56 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:43,800 without the challenges. 57 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,280 But the reality is that we're up to every challenge. 58 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:53,220 We absolutely can adapt and grow and expand to match the challenge. 59 00:03:53,220 --> 00:03:57,600 And every time a challenge comes before you for whatever reason, for example, you have 60 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:04,680 a job that you don't want, I want to tell you that, you know, you can make it a job 61 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:05,680 you want. 62 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,720 And no, it's not going to be easy. 63 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:13,840 But the real question is, do you accept the challenge? 64 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:19,720 And that's why number one strategy for what if you got the job you didn't want is to accept 65 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:25,800 your mission Impossible Challenge, accept your challenge, your mission Impossible Challenge. 66 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:32,000 I don't know if you recall the series of movies, Mission Impossible, that had as its star Tom 67 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:36,080 Cruise, and it was like, oh, my gosh, this mission is impossible, and yet they would 68 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:41,680 always do it with extra dramatic flair, right? 69 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,600 This is the same challenge that lies before you. 70 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,440 Because if you're someone who's aspiring to lead a research program, and instead you've 71 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:53,000 been given a full time clinical job, hmm, how do you make it work? 72 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,600 Do you give up on your dream altogether? 73 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,560 Do you just decide that maybe it was never meant to be? 74 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,000 Do you just quit academia? 75 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,680 And I think the answer to all of that is no, don't do any of that. 76 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,260 Fight for the job you want. 77 00:05:06,260 --> 00:05:09,600 Fight for the mission that you want to accomplish. 78 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,400 Fight for what you want to do. 79 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,560 And I hear many people say I'm tired of fighting. 80 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:15,840 I've been fighting all my career. 81 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:19,840 I've been fighting to get into med school, and I fought again to get into residency, 82 00:05:19,840 --> 00:05:22,300 and then I fought again to get into fellowship. 83 00:05:22,300 --> 00:05:28,280 And now you're telling me I finally got into the pinnacle of all of my training, I'm done? 84 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:31,040 You're telling me I need to fight again? 85 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:32,320 And I get it. 86 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:33,320 I get it. 87 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:39,520 And that's my number one is really asking you do you accept the Mission Impossible Challenge. 88 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:40,520 It's a choice. 89 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,040 Do you accept it? 90 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:49,000 Because on the other side of accepting the challenge is the career you want. 91 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,180 It's the experience you want. 92 00:05:51,180 --> 00:05:56,840 It's a rich, wonderful experience as a faculty member. 93 00:05:56,840 --> 00:06:02,680 If you cross over to the other side, but you're right now on the side that you don't want 94 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:03,680 to be on. 95 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:09,780 And yes, in between you, where you are right now, and where you're going, that amazing 96 00:06:09,780 --> 00:06:12,400 place is a big chasm. 97 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:13,640 Is that a chasm? 98 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:15,880 I think maybe it's a chasm or a chasm. 99 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:17,440 It's a chasm. 100 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,760 A big chasm between you and where you want to go now. 101 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,280 And you're staring at the chasm and you're like, I don't think so. 102 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:25,640 I'm not going to do that. 103 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:30,440 What I want you to do, and I'm inviting you right now to close your eyes and imagine the 104 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:32,760 career you want. 105 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:37,040 Imagine the way you feel. 106 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:43,280 Imagine what people are saying about you, how they're in awe of the way you expertly 107 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:48,120 answer questions as you give presentations. 108 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:54,000 Imagine how patients are transformed because of the work that you've done. 109 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:58,440 Imagine when you go and present your clinical trials and people are like, oh my goodness, 110 00:06:58,440 --> 00:06:59,440 thank you so much. 111 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,120 They give you a standing ovation. 112 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,520 Imagine the possibilities. 113 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:13,880 Imagine your life with you having a fully funded research team that you direct and people 114 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,860 bring you data and you help them analyze and interpret it. 115 00:07:17,860 --> 00:07:23,120 And they're first authors who are writing manuscripts with you as senior author. 116 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,800 Imagine the possibilities. 117 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:34,560 And if you imagine the job you want, then the question is, do you accept the challenge? 118 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:40,840 Do you accept your mission impossible challenge to take the job before you and to make it 119 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,520 what you want it to be? 120 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,400 And I kid you not, it's an impossible challenge. 121 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:52,080 But like Tom Cruise's character, I think Ethan Hawke probably, I forget, in all those 122 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:55,720 movies showed, it's like, yeah, it's hard impossible, but you can make it. 123 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:57,040 You can absolutely make it. 124 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:59,400 Do you want to? 125 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:00,400 You can. 126 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:05,880 And if you're going to take on this mission impossible challenge, you're going to do things 127 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:06,880 in a way that's not orthodox. 128 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:11,760 You're going to do things uniquely and innovatively. 129 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,200 You're going to do things differently. 130 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,480 So everyone's like, yeah, we're going to enter through the front door of the building. 131 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:23,360 You're like, no, I'm going to scale the building and enter through the roof. 132 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:28,080 But this is the kind of mission impossible challenge that's before you. 133 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,080 And the question is, will you accept the challenge? 134 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,640 I mean, you don't have to accept the challenge. 135 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:37,640 You can decide that you quit because that's a decision that other people have made. 136 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:39,960 Or you can decide that, you know what, you're trying too hard. 137 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,000 Just settle and do what everybody else is doing. 138 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,880 You can do that. 139 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,160 And if you do what everybody else is doing, you'll likely get the same results that everybody 140 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:48,160 else is getting. 141 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:53,960 But if you say, I accept the challenge, then you've got to be willing to embrace some unorthodox 142 00:08:53,960 --> 00:09:02,360 strategies, some unorthodox methods to move it forward. 143 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:06,640 So if you don't accept the mission impossible challenge, you can't pass scale and you can't 144 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:07,640 collect 200. 145 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,280 Just, you know, just, I guess, settle. 146 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:14,760 But you don't want to settle because if you wanted to settle, you wouldn't be listening 147 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:16,160 to me right now. 148 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:20,400 You want what you want because you know that what you want changes lives. 149 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:21,840 It changes your life for sure. 150 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,840 But it also changes the lives of the people around you. 151 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,520 It changes your experience in the academy. 152 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:31,280 And it changes the impact that you've come to make. 153 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:36,500 And so I'm believing that you're going to accept your mission impossible challenge and 154 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:41,320 you're going to move forward to create out of what you don't want exactly what you want. 155 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:45,420 And I want to invite you to say that there was no challenge before you that's too great 156 00:09:45,420 --> 00:09:49,640 for you because you've demonstrated over the course of your life and your career that this 157 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,360 is the kind of thing you do. 158 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:58,400 And because it's the kind of thing you do, don't let it phase you. 159 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:00,080 You're going to do this one too. 160 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:01,080 Okay. 161 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:02,140 All right. 162 00:10:02,140 --> 00:10:04,380 So accept your mission impossible challenge. 163 00:10:04,380 --> 00:10:05,640 That's number one. 164 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:10,160 It's a challenge and you can do it only if you choose to. 165 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,920 The second thing I'm going to invite you to do is get a coach. 166 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,040 I am inviting you to get a coach. 167 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:21,720 And I have benefited so much from coaching and I am a coach. 168 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,680 So it seems like a little bit of a conflict of interest to say, hey, I'm a coach. 169 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:26,680 You go get a coach. 170 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:28,200 But I really do mean it. 171 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:30,840 And I'm not saying have me as your coach though. 172 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,360 I'm a great coach. 173 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,200 You should absolutely come coach with me. 174 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,880 Then I'm saying you should get a coach. 175 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:42,880 Because if you're going to play any game at the level of the Olympics, you cannot do it 176 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:43,880 by yourself. 177 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:46,920 It doesn't matter how amazingly raw your talent is. 178 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:48,800 It's difficult to do. 179 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:49,800 Is it impossible? 180 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:50,800 No. 181 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,240 But it's difficult to do. 182 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:59,560 And your coach is not going to play the game for you. 183 00:10:59,560 --> 00:11:04,200 They probably wouldn't even run beside you when you're doing all these hard exercises. 184 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:09,140 What they do do is help you fulfill your potential. 185 00:11:09,140 --> 00:11:13,900 Because only you can discover how far you can go. 186 00:11:13,900 --> 00:11:18,360 Only you can discover how much your capacity can expand. 187 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,360 Only you can do that work. 188 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:25,080 But a coach will support you to do that work. 189 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:33,080 And if you are a clinician trying to make a transition to a research leadership position, 190 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:34,760 you're going to want to think differently. 191 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:36,920 You're going to want to be innovative. 192 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:37,920 You're going to want to be strategic. 193 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:39,880 You're going to want to negotiate. 194 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,280 You have a lot of things you're going to need to do. 195 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,240 And it is hard to do it by yourself. 196 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:50,560 And I invite you to not do it by yourself because doing it by yourself has likely gotten 197 00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:52,600 you to where you are. 198 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,440 Or maybe you haven't done it by yourself and you've done it with someone who hasn't supported 199 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:58,760 you all the way through. 200 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,820 Or maybe you've done it with someone who's kind of halfway supported you or given you 201 00:12:02,820 --> 00:12:07,720 advice that now you're questioning whether that was okay to do. 202 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,600 And saying whatever you do, don't go this journey alone. 203 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,200 Don't go it alone. 204 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:18,360 Have someone by your side in your corner who's rooting for you to win, who's rooting for you 205 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:23,660 to accomplish the goals you set for yourself, not the goals they set for you. 206 00:12:23,660 --> 00:12:26,680 And so I'm inviting you to get a coach. 207 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:30,060 And yes, it is an investment in your future. 208 00:12:30,060 --> 00:12:33,960 It is not cheap to have a coach. 209 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,640 No, it is not. 210 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:38,640 It is not. 211 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:42,680 You may go once or twice when you hear what the rates are for coaching. 212 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:49,520 But it's absolutely worth the investment because you are worth the investment. 213 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:54,080 And until now, you have been investing in yourself. 214 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:58,400 You made a major investment in yourself in going to medical school. 215 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:03,780 You made a major investment, not just financially, but you made a major investment in terms of 216 00:13:03,780 --> 00:13:04,780 your time. 217 00:13:04,780 --> 00:13:08,200 You gave up most of your 20s to do this thing. 218 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,080 And so why stop investing now? 219 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,760 Why say, hey, I'm done investing? 220 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,000 You keep investing because you're worth it. 221 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,600 And so number two, number two is get a coach. 222 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:25,040 Number three is with the help of your coach or even if you decided to be hard headed and 223 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:32,920 not get a coach, get clear about what success means to you. 224 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:37,320 Be very clear and it will take time for you to figure this out, but it's really important 225 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,160 work that you need to do. 226 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:45,200 Because for some of us, success in our careers is part success. 227 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:49,120 I mean, it's a big driver of our success. 228 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:54,280 But what you also want to do is you want to be successful in your personal relationships 229 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,860 and you want to be successful in your personal goals. 230 00:13:57,860 --> 00:14:00,600 And so get clear about what success means. 231 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:09,280 Yes, we know that success in the academy means published papers and grants and national recognition 232 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,680 and people inviting you to be on committees. 233 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:16,240 And we know what that looks like because it's in the AAP&T handbook. 234 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:17,240 That's fine. 235 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:18,240 But what about you? 236 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,520 What does success look like to you? 237 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,960 Forty years from now, will you be excited about the count of like 300 papers that you 238 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:29,760 have or will you feel empty inside? 239 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:33,640 What does success mean to you? 240 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,760 You got to get really clear about that. 241 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:40,440 Because if you're in a job situation that you didn't want or a job situation that you 242 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,760 didn't choose, chances are you're doing a lot of things or people are asking you to 243 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:48,640 do things that you might not necessarily choose as the first thing that you would want to 244 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:50,180 do. 245 00:14:50,180 --> 00:14:55,320 And so when you're very clear about what success means to you, then you become strategic about 246 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:57,920 the way you craft your experience. 247 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:04,720 But you can't craft your experience until you understand what success means and how 248 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:07,440 you're going to achieve that success. 249 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:15,640 So get clear about what success means to you in your spiritual life, in your career, in 250 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:19,800 your family life, in your health. 251 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,680 Very clear what success looks like. 252 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:27,320 And you may not know the destination of the success, but you know, you know where you 253 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:28,320 want to go. 254 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:29,840 You have a sense of it. 255 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:34,000 You know, you've looked at people and you're like, I don't want to do this thing where 256 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,920 I'm in the office every day of the week, seven days of the week. 257 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,120 You know, you know. 258 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:44,040 And so get clear, not just about what you don't want, but be clear about what you do 259 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:49,240 want and how you want to show up in this world and how you want to incorporate all your amazing 260 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,080 medical knowledge. 261 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,120 Get clear about what success means. 262 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,360 The fourth thing you want to do is ask questions. 263 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:02,120 One of the biggest tools that you have to you in advancing your career is your power 264 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:05,400 to ask questions and to ask good questions. 265 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:14,160 Now not will you increase my salary or not, because that's a yes or no closed ended question. 266 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:19,940 You know about closed ended questions, but an open ended question of, hmm, I see here 267 00:16:19,940 --> 00:16:24,440 that I'm at below the 25th percentile of national benchmarks. 268 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:25,440 How come? 269 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,720 It's a different, it's a different, it's a different conversation. 270 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:33,000 Those two questions will elicit different answers. 271 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:40,200 And so you're going to get good at not just formulating great open ended questions, but 272 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,660 having the courage to ask these questions. 273 00:16:43,660 --> 00:16:46,360 And who do you ask these questions of? 274 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:50,280 You ask these questions of everybody and anybody around you. 275 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:54,920 You ask these questions of the people who look like they have the kind of job you actually 276 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:56,360 wanted. 277 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:02,020 You ask these questions of the people who look like they're in charge of defining your 278 00:17:02,020 --> 00:17:03,880 job description. 279 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:08,480 So division chief, chair, dean, those kinds of people. 280 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:13,880 You ask questions of your family and how they see you in this world and what would make 281 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:18,480 them happy if you have a significant other? 282 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:24,160 Ask questions about what about your current work situation may not make them happy. 283 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:30,200 Ask questions about salary and what is an equitable salary and where do your salary, 284 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:35,720 what is your salary compared to national benchmarks and across the board of your institution? 285 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:37,720 Ask those questions. 286 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,680 The worst thing that will happen is that you end up exactly in the same place as you were 287 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:47,720 before you asked the question, which is ignorant of the answer. 288 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,800 But the best thing that will happen and most likely thing that will happen is that you 289 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:57,960 get an answer that allows you to cross over from uninformed to informed. 290 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,640 And so you ask questions. 291 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:02,760 You ask questions. 292 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:04,640 How do we move forward in research? 293 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,280 How do I buy down my clinical time? 294 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,880 How does this grant coming in change my experience? 295 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:16,600 How will you support me in the letter that you write for my career development award? 296 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,520 Ask lots of questions. 297 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,700 Ask lots of questions. 298 00:18:21,700 --> 00:18:26,440 Before you ever make any ask, ask lots of questions. 299 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:31,760 Before you say give me, I want, ask lots of questions. 300 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:36,760 And the reason you ask lots of questions is because of number five, get information. 301 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,840 There's stuff you're going to ask and get information because you ask and then there's 302 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:41,440 stuff you're going to go dig up by yourself. 303 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:46,960 You're going to go find the AP&T paperwork for your institution and you're going to read 304 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,600 and say, okay, is this what it takes to be promoted? 305 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:51,360 Okay, I got it. 306 00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:54,600 Get information about the most recent people who've been promoted. 307 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:56,200 Like okay, what did they do? 308 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,080 Okay, I got it. 309 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:03,180 Get information about those people who are succeeding in the way you want to succeed. 310 00:19:03,180 --> 00:19:07,840 Get as much information as you can. 311 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:13,800 And the reason you get as much information as you can is because of number six, you begin 312 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:17,040 the series of negotiations. 313 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:21,360 So I've talked a little bit on this podcast about negotiating and negotiating is such a 314 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:23,680 critical component of our career as academics. 315 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:27,080 We're pretty good at negotiating on behalf of our patients. 316 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:34,320 We're a little bit less sure as far as coming to negotiating on behalf of ourselves. 317 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:39,400 But we're going to begin a series of negotiations to move us towards the job we actually want 318 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:44,240 and we're going to do it strategically. 319 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:47,960 But we're also going to recognize that it's going to take time to achieve the goals that 320 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:49,880 we want. 321 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,560 And that's why it's a series of negotiations. 322 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:54,560 And sometimes we have unrealistic expectations. 323 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,280 We've kind of accepted a job we didn't want. 324 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,160 And to be honest, we chose. 325 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:02,040 You may have been like, well, I didn't have any choice. 326 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:09,520 We always have choice because walking away from a job you don't want is a choice. 327 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:13,880 Finding something different to do outside of academia and yet continuing to be academic 328 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:18,240 within the non-academic workspace is a choice. 329 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:21,880 And you've made choices. 330 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:30,240 And so when you're thinking about your series of negotiations, you want to recognize that 331 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:35,800 you're going to really work gradually to get to where you really want to be. 332 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:43,240 And so that gets me to number seven, which is you're here to play the long game. 333 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:49,600 If you're very clear what your career direction is, where you want to end up, then you know 334 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,360 that you're here to play the long game. 335 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:56,520 You're here to negotiate and to negotiate and to negotiate again. 336 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,920 And then when you're done negotiating, you're satisfied and you negotiate again. 337 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:05,080 You know because you're playing the long game. 338 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:10,400 Your career will span decades. 339 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,680 Does that feel like a long time? 340 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:14,000 You stay in academic medicine. 341 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:19,400 In fact, even if you don't stay, no matter what you do, have a good solid decades of 342 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,960 working life left. 343 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:26,320 You're here to play the long game, whether you agree or not. 344 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:31,560 And if you're going to play the long game, then you know that your job is to win the 345 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:33,880 war and not just the battle. 346 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:38,300 And there are some battles you're going to give up because you have the bigger picture 347 00:21:38,300 --> 00:21:39,300 in mind. 348 00:21:39,300 --> 00:21:42,320 You're very clear where you're going. 349 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:46,920 And so what you want to do is recognize that in your career, you're playing the long game. 350 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:53,280 You are biding your time for the opportunity or for the opportune moment to come up where 351 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:57,360 you can move forward in a way you've wanted to move forward. 352 00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:02,000 You are strategizing, walking and talking with mentors outside of your institution, 353 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:06,880 within your institution to move you closer and closer to the goal. 354 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:12,560 You're working hard on a daily writing schedule where you're moving research projects and 355 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:17,720 manuscript writing and grant writing forward every little bit at a time. 356 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:23,440 You're working to get the resources needed to write for grant funding, to submit high 357 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,680 quality and competitive proposals. 358 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:31,040 You're going and getting the training you need to improve the quality of your writing. 359 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:35,120 You're going and seeking the mentorship you need so that you can move research projects 360 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:36,280 forward. 361 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:41,080 You're reaching out and you're looking at collaborations that help you move forward. 362 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:46,320 Oh, you're here to play the long game. 363 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:52,720 And so I say all those things just to remind you that you can have the career you want, 364 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,320 but only if you shape it. 365 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,160 It doesn't depend on anybody else. 366 00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,760 It depends on you. 367 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:04,840 And I don't say this to not recognize that there is a power differential that exists 368 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:09,920 between you and whoever is in the position of leadership at your institution. 369 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,800 I'm not here to deny that gap. 370 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:16,480 What I am here to tell you is that you have greater power than you know or understand 371 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:18,760 in shaping your own career. 372 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,240 That's because the greatest power you have is over yourself. 373 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,320 And you may not be able to change a mentor's mind. 374 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:29,000 You may not be able to change a division chief's mind, but you can change your mind. 375 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:35,600 And part of this journey is you experiencing and understanding your power to transform 376 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:40,920 you so that you begin to transform your experience as a faculty member. 377 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:41,920 Yeah. 378 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:48,480 Seven things I told you about what to do if you get the job that you didn't want. 379 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,320 Number one, accept your mission Impossible Challenge. 380 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,560 It is impossible and you can do it because you're just that kind of person who can make 381 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:56,560 it work. 382 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:00,720 Number two, get a coach because you're going to want someone by your side who's going 383 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,880 to encourage you all the way through, who's going to help you maximize your potential 384 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:06,320 throughout your experience. 385 00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:10,000 Number three, get clear about what success means. 386 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:11,680 Don't accept their word for it. 387 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,560 Don't believe just what the mentors have told you success looks like. 388 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:15,560 You decide. 389 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:17,420 And don't just think about one aspect of your life. 390 00:24:17,420 --> 00:24:19,640 You think about all aspects of your life. 391 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,120 What does success mean? 392 00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:24,280 Number four, you're going to get good at asking questions. 393 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:28,540 You're going to stop requesting things and you're instead going to ask for questions 394 00:24:28,540 --> 00:24:30,000 that get you information. 395 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:36,120 You're going to get good at asking people open-ended questions. 396 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:40,400 The number five is you're going to get information because information allows you to negotiate 397 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:41,400 well. 398 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,720 And number six, you're going to begin the series of negotiations. 399 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:49,240 Number seven, you're going to recognize that this career you're building, you are playing 400 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,520 the long game. 401 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,680 You're not going to be anxious or worried about finances. 402 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,200 You're not going to be anxious or worried about the next manuscript. 403 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:04,120 You're going to recognize that you are in this game to have the career that you want 404 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:07,160 over the arc of years, decades of your experience. 405 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:08,160 All right. 406 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,560 It's been a pleasure talking with you today. 407 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,960 I invite you, if you are looking for a coach to work with, please reach out to me. 408 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:16,400 We'd love to work with you. 409 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:21,720 We can set up a coaching consultation call and you can decide within that call. 410 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:26,200 We can both decide if it's a mutually agreeable thing for us to move forward with. 411 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:30,360 But I do want to invite you, don't do this alone. 412 00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:31,360 Don't go in alone. 413 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:32,360 All right. 414 00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:35,080 Somebody else needs to hear this episode and I invite you to share it with them. 415 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:40,000 I want to thank you again for being part of the Clinician Researcher podcast. 416 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:45,920 Please subscribe and leave us a five-star review if this podcast has been beneficial 417 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:46,920 to you and it's been helpful. 418 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:47,920 All right. 419 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,000 It's been a pleasure to talk with you today. 420 00:25:50,000 --> 00:26:00,760 I look forward to talking with you again the next time. 421 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:06,120 Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher podcast where academic 422 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:11,840 clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program whether or not they have 423 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:12,960 a mentor. 424 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:19,060 If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself. 425 00:26:19,060 --> 00:26:20,800 Someone else needs to hear it. 426 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:24,840 So take a minute right now and share it. 427 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:30,320 As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation 428 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:36,280 of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.