Many years ago, I visited my optometrist to have my glasses adjusted. The woman who usually helped me was attending to another customer. Reluctantly I shared my reason for being there with an obviously new employee. The way she took my spectacles from me, made me uneasy but I chalked that up to me not getting my regular person. She started the routine…dipped the frames into whatever it is that makes them a little more malleable…and then began adjusting. That’s when I saw, in a split second one part of the arm detach from the other in an almost inaudible click. My spectacles were broken. The young attendant looked at me and asked how long I had purchased the frames and then proceeded to inform me that they were not under warranty. “I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!” Was all I could think about in exasperation! “I knew something would go wrong.” She was obviously inexperienced, did not exude any confidence and THAT was what made me feel uncomfortable and doubtful.
Today I watched a doctor at work. With eyes locked in on his patient, he explained…using a decision tree…all the possibilities post examination. What needed to be done next, each possible outcome, and treatment for each possible result. He talked about a year of examinations in his practice, the trends he was seeing in patients, what he was concerned about, and what wasn’t worrying him at all. He backed up everything he was sharing by also showing the first slide from a presentation that he would be making at a conference abroad to other colleagues in his profession…displaying the statistics to support his analysis.
Someone needs you. Someone needs me. They need our confidence around how to treat with an issue they might be having.
In my case it might be a non performing employee or a need for some strategic direction and guidance.
Regardless of what you do, you need to think about HOW you serve. What do you want the person you’re serving to feel?
In the case of the medical industry…you are serving mostly scared folks who need compassion and also clarification as to what’s going on with them and what they need to do next.
Who are you serving – what do they most need and how are you going to answer that question in the context of your own career? If you aren’t confident about what you’re doing ask yourself “Why?” Seriously. Search for the answer. You may find that your job is not the best fit for you or perhaps you need to hone your skills in a particular area. Regardless of what it is, take the time to DO something about it.
It makes a HUGE difference when you feel that you’re in the hands of someone who is confident and capable of solving your problem. For you it actually translates into peace of mind.
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