The Top 10 Skills I Need to Save the World:

Leading Effective Change with Grace

Leadership and Advocacy Online Toolkit

Leadership Skills for Medical Women and Those Who Wish to Support Them

edited by Janet Dollin, MDCM, CCFP, FCFP for the Federation of Medical Women of Canada

Overview

The Top 10 Skills I Need to Save the World is a fun, comprehensive resource for medical women, looking at how to strengthen our ability to lead change for our careers in medicine and for the areas of our work where we witness that change is needed. The reasons that we have not yet “saved the world” (for women in medicine and for women’s health), have been the Federation of Medical Women of Canada’s overarching discussion theme over the last few years. We are sincerely grateful to all of our contributors, for the meeting presentations, workshops and conversations that contributed to this resource. We have collated this wisdom and compiled it into this on line advocacy toolkit. Created by women physicians, it is intended for use by all physicians, as a tool to help us build important leadership skills. 

Each of the 10 specific skills presented in this online resource developed from a discussion that began with the 10 major barriers that FMWC women physicians have faced in building their careers. These barriers are rooted in our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and in our understanding of the systems around us. This online resource can be used at your own pace either in whole or in part. It’s up to you. Use the links within the toolkit, the booklist at the end, or just the the Workbook alone for either personal or group work. Does your world need changing? Here are the skills you will need: 

Skill #1 began with the thought that  “I didn’t know it needed saving”. This refers to not being aware that gender has been a determinant of women’s careers in medicine and although the landscape has changes significantly over the years, it still remains a barrier to specialty choice, to advancement, and to climate. The challenge is to learn from the past and to understand the influence that gender roles still have. The skill is “I need to know it needs saving”

Skill #2 began with the overwhelming thought that
“I didn’t know where to start”. Each individual has to know their own strengths and weaknesses, has to find the “fire in their belly”. The skill to learn is “I have to figure out where to start”

Skill # 3 began with the recurring concern that “I had no time”. Of course time is finite and time management skills cannot actually create more of it. The skill, then, is to choose how to spend it most wisely. Skill 3 is “I need time”.

Skill #4 began with the belief that “I didn’t think I could do that or that women doctors should do that” This self-talk limits the scope of work that we do to the immediate problem before us. We stop seeing that the personal issues that we navigate around are actually big picture issues that affect us all. We stop seeing ourselves as potential agents of change. The skill to build is “I need to believe that women doctors can/should do that: if not me then who?“

Skill #5 began with the thought “I plan to, but I will get to it later”. We can become expert at overwhelming ourselves with work and busyness. The skill to hone then, is “ I need to plan to do it now and not put it off for later: if not now then when?"

Skill #6 began as the belief that  “I tried but nobody would listen to me”. This might be the truth, but it is a correctable truth, with the appropriate skills. We may not know how to speak, we may not have effective social capital and we may not be heard because we have hit upon conflict we don’t know how to resolve.  The task then is “I need the skills to make people listen to me”
 
Skill #7 began with the belief that  “Hospital /Association politics are too messy” This belief stems from not understanding the game. To strengthen this skill you must know how change happens around you. “ I need to understand my Hospital or Association politics and how change happens”

Skill #8 began with the thought that “Government politics are too messy”. If you are prepared for messy you can be a leader, or you can influence a leader to make change in the direction you feel it is needed. There are many examples of advocacy tools that help your leaders to make change. Learn to use these to understand how change happens in politics, and learn to build more. “ I need to understand Government politics”

Skill #9 began with the overwhelmed thought that “I wanted to but was too busy carpooling/caregiving”. It is a fact of life that caregiving is a vital, life affirming responsibility that affects the careers of women physicians. The skill to develop involves recognizing the need for flexible family friendly work. The change that will be needed are workplaces that support this. This skill is “ I need to feel guilt free about parenting or caregiving”

Acknowledgements

The following individuals have contributed by presenting papers at our workshops and allowing us to include their work within this online resource. It is with sincere gratitude to all of these individuals that we present this resource. It is also with sincere gratitude that we include those who contributed to the Call for Papers on “Customizing Balance” some of whose stories appear as links within Skill #4.

Self reflective exercises that help you grow your career are eligible for CME credit. You may choose to receive MAINPRO-C credit for the work you do here through the CFPC Linking Learning to Practice program (link http://www.cfpc.ca/local/files/CME/Mainpro/generic.pdf)

Introduction to the concept of “Saving the World”

• We all (men + women) entered medicine “to help people”

• Women in medicine (WIM) have had a strong influence on women’s health + have positively impacted medical training

• Along with the demographic shift came hope re WIM

  • that we would listen

  • that we would empathize

  • that we would build relationships

  • that we would gain public respect

  • that we would humanize medicine

  • that we could “do it all"

  • things would change for the better

Reflections on bearing witness to the need for change…

• We all, men and women, entered medicine with hope (can’t you see it on the med school application..I want to help people)

• We are all  trained as patient advocates.

• We are day-to-day witness to individual problems that are rooted in social causes.

• We intimately know the health implications of not seeking change and indeed we are trained in change theory.

• We know that if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem.

• We are in the wonderful position of being truly privileged and valued in society.

• We unfortunately have a habit of undervaluing ourselves.

• That habit is based on history…

Objectives for this online resource

• Understand the role of culture and gender in career choice and its influence on leadership.

• Identify and explore the barriers and mazes that women physicians face in building their careers

• Learn about your own personal strengths and how to build on them.

• Understand the skills needed (and systemic changes needed) to ensure career advancement, promotion and leadership for medical women and explore how to build or foster these.

• Redefine leadership for women as leading needed change through the ability to motivate others. (saving the world one small step at a time)

• Identify and discuss the personal as well as institutional and policy barriers that prevent seeing and acting when and where change is needed.

• Explore strategies for leading change with grace at personal, institutional and political levels.

Bottom line skills and groundrules

• This web resource is about influencing change -personal or systemic

• It is also about gender’s influence on career trajectories and leadership styles

• Know you are not alone in your career path (the personal is political)

• Know yourself and your personal strengths

• Know where change may happen and what you might do to encourage it.

• Your ideas matter. - move personal insights into action

• Use the Top 10 Skills workbook to accompany you on your journey (Link to Workbook)

• You are in charge of the goals. (Linking Learning to Practice)  

  (http://www.cfpc.ca/local/files/CME/Mainpro/generic.pdf)

We started by naming the barriers:

The Top 10 REASONS  I Didn’t Save the World This Year

• I didn’t know it needed saving

• I didn’t know where to start

• I had no time

• I didn’t think I could do that or that women doctors should do that

• I plan to, but I will get to it later

• I tried but nobody would listen to me

• Hospital /Association politics are too messy

• Government politics are too messy

• I wanted to but was too busy carpooling/caregiving

• I tried that when I was young and now I have no more energy

Download 2007 AGM Poster



The Top 10 SKILLS  I Need to Save the World This Year

• Skill 1. I need to know it needs saving

• Skill 2. I have to figure out where to start

• Skill 3. I need time

• Skill 4. I need to believe that women doctors can/should do that: if not me then who?

• Skill 5. I need to plan to do it now and not put it off for later: if not now then when?

• Skill 6. I need the skills to make people listen to me

• Skill 7. I need to understand my Hospital or Association politics and how change happens

• Skill 8. I need to understand Government politics

• Skill 9. I need to feel guilt free about parenting or caregiving

• Skill 10. I need to maintain my energy throughout a long and productive career

Skill 1 »