Academic Success Virginia C. Broudy, MD July 25, 2016
Have you ever thought: Pretty soon they will realize that everyone else here is smarter, more capable, more, than me. OR The Admissions Committee made a mistake when they admitted me.
I have written eleven books, but each time I think, uh oh, they re going to find out now. I ve run a game on everybody and they re going to find me out. - Maya Angelou
The Impostor Syndrome My son who is a software engineer at Google told me about this.
What is the biggest fear for most people in academics? Public Speaking!
Know your talk well Practice with colleagues who can coach you How could I do better? Flow of ideas Slides Potential questions Have a confidante My husband, my sister
My First Abstract (A.K.A. Humility)
Turn to the person next to you: Do you have an example of a time you lacked confidence? Does the impostor syndrome resonate with you?
Be Prepared! Committee meetings read material in advance FDA Biological Response Modifiers Committee Think about areas of opportunity/concern Think about solutions Have reasons behind your comments or questions
Somebody has to do something, and it s just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us. - Jerry Garcia The Grateful Dead
Why not you? Careers are not always A B C as you planned Careers are more like a jungle gym, and less like a ladder HMC Chief of Medicine job Ron Maier You should apply Ginny Broudy Who, me? - Sheryl Sandberg Lean In
Careers evolve over time...be open to this The balance of what you do will differ at various stages of your career What do I do best? (be honest with yourself) Celebrate the new path, don t rue the loss of the old path
Do what you say you will do (or say no) Perfection = paralysis All great writing is rewriting Straw man concept Time is finite When will you find time for this new project? What will you stop doing that you are doing now? Let me think about that and get back to you. I don t have the time to do the top quality job that this project merits.
Finish what you start Have confidence in your data and move on John Adamson If you don t write the paper by January, I will. Break it into small doable segments and complete one per day Set achievable goals If you always set a goal that is 20% more than a mere mortal can achieve, you will always be disappointed
Work as a team and facilitate the success of others Textbook chapter you write this section, I ll write that section (clarity over who does what, deliverable, date) Notice and celebrate the success of others (I send email notes) Manage up
Appreciation Send notes/emails to others when they succeed Phil Fialkow R01 funded Bill Bremner course for fellows Keep notes people send you, and re-read on a gray day! Think (or write down) all you have achieved
Personal Pep Talks I m good at this Danskin Tri I am a good swimmer chant I m well prepared I know my area of research better than anyone in the audience
Observe those around you Your mentors, your peers, those junior to you What works well? What should you avoid doing? Yogi Berra You can observe a lot by just watching
Recall that you have impact on those around you To me, the proof of a man s goodness is the effect he has upon others - WH Auden People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel - Maya Angelou We are constantly modeling behaviors for those around us
Work hard at something you enjoy and that has meaning To each one of you, the practice of medicine will be very much as you make it... to one a worry, a care, a perpetual annoyance; to another, a daily joy and a life of as much happiness and usefulness as can well fall to the lot of man. - Sir William Osler The practice of medicine has a powerful meaning Make sure that you and your leadership share values and goals Keep your primary skill set sharp
Reflect when things don t go as expected (we all have failures) Consider your mistakes as experiences What could I have done better here? How did that conversation go? Don t let your failures/disappointments derail you You are in the driver s seat of your career driving a race car vs riding a bucking bronco
What if I screw up? So what? You will regret more the things you didn t do, than the things you did do What is the worst thing that can happen? William Osler Life in day-tight compartments I did the best I could today; tomorrow is another day
What about work/life balance? Set limits and stick to them Do what s important first Done is better than perfect Perfectionism is the enemy of completion If you have children, think of yourself as a career-loving parent Children help with bookends to the day
Your spouse/partner is your most important relationship nurture it! Children ultimately pursue their own lives Colleagues and friends move to other institutions David is my spouse and best friend Swim, Friday night dinner tradition...
Self Care!! Exercise with friends swim, jog, and abs of steel Book Club for 20 years Sleep My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends - it gives a lovely light! - Edna St. Vincent Millay Tradition is a guide and not a jailer Microwave pancakes Frozen berry pie
Your career is your adventure. Enjoy it! Thank you!