How Do You Motivate Yourself to Lead?
How do you (re-)motivate yourself when your leadership drive-or overall professional engagement-is low? You've probably seen lots of advice for re-igniting your passion for work and for your role as a leader. For better or for worse this advice includes things like write down where you want to be 5 years from now; focus on relationships with your direct reports; conduct a mock hiring interview with yourself; find more balance in your non-work-life; find a mentor; take on a mentee; etc. I'll admit, those tactics don't resonate with me. In those moments (which fortunately are rare for me), I lean into my "heart bubble" work -- the work that brings greatest fulfillment and joy and tends to stimulate a different part of the brain. For me that means carving out a day or two to dive into workshop planning, leadership development work, or presentation prep.
I recently read about another strategy that might have merit: "Fall back in love with the problem." If you're reading this post, you've chosen to contribute your gifts and talents to this incredible community of academic medicine and the broader field of healthcare. Serving others. That's some pretty great motivation, right?
Can you remember why you chose this career, this field, the health system where you work? What issues did you hope to solve? How do you keep yourself motivated to lead your teams?
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Jennifer Schlener
Chief of Staff
Association of American Medical Colleges
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