Written by Margaret Cary, MD.
Michael’s Story: The Beginning
“I’m straightforward, to the point,” said Michael, the CEO at a large inner-city hospital. “The people I work with—they may not like me, but they know I’m right.”
“What else?” I said to Michael, whom I had just been retained to coach.
“I just wish they understood me. I do what’s best for the patient. They don’t always do that.”
“How’s that working for you?” I asked.
“Hmm. It works. Sometimes.”
Like most physicians in positions of leadership, Michael regards himself as the expert who knows the most. Others should just listen to him and fall in line. He prides himself on being straightforward, for “saying it like it is.”
Of course, that’s part of the training most doctors receive. We consider our patients’ signs and symptoms and come up with a list of possible causes. Our brains are taking in data, and, one-by-one, we add to, or subtract from, the differential diagnosis.
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