VIEWPOINTS
Joe ’ s Career Hacks
Joseph Mikhael , MD , MEd , is a Professor in the Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute ( TGen ), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center , and Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation .
● I AM BY no means an expert in life coaching , but I have devoted a significant part of my career to mentoring junior faculty . Fueled by great programs like the American Society of Hematology ( ASH ) Clinical Research Training Institute , I believe mentorship is a critical part of medicine and has been seminal to the success of innumerable careers . I have reached a stage in my career where I love to see my mentees thrive , preferring to see their names on papers over mine and happy to defer prestigious opportunities to support their careers .
As we progress in our careers , it is incumbent on each of us to learn how to pass the baton to a new generation . Part of this process involves guiding younger faculty through the complex web of our profession . Here , in my “ listicle ” tradition , I ’ m sharing a dozen lessons I have learned and shared with my mentees over the last 20 years , each represented by a famous movie quote .
1 . “ One day your life will flash before your eyes – make sure it ’ s worth watching .” ( The Bucket List ) It ’ s hard to do early in one ’ s career , but I suggest that you envision your retirement party . Ask yourself three questions : Where is it , who is there , and what would you want them to say ? Having a view of the finish line may guide critical decisions early on .
6 . “ Life moves pretty fast . If you don ’ t stop and look around once in a while , you could miss it .” ( Ferris Bueller ’ s Day Off ) We are all guilty of overworking and not taking real time to slow down , unplug , decompress , and smell the roses . The tragedy of burnout is ubiquitous , and we have to do everything in our power to prevent and overcome it .
7 . “ We ’ re a team . One person struggles , we all struggle . One person triumphs , we all triumph .” ( Coach Carter ) Medicine is a team sport and we desperately need each other . Be the kind of colleague that encourages others , lifts them up , and celebrates them . Some healthy competition is beneficial , but I think we have too often cultivated greed and arrogance to the detriment of our work , our colleagues , and even our patients .
8 . “ Show me the money !” ( Jerry Maguire ) In medicine , negotiating skills are underrated and poorly taught . Trainees and junior faculty rarely appreciate their own value and often don ’ t know how to best establish the terms of their first job . Mentors have the opportunity to help set up our junior colleagues for success .
The content of the Editor ’ s Corner is the opinion of the author and does not represent the official position of the American Society of Hematology unless so stated .
Have a comment about this editorial ? Let us know what you think ; we welcome your feedback . Email the editor your response , along with your full name and professional affiliation if you ’ d like us to consider publishing it , at ACNEditor @ hematology . org .
2 . “ I feel the need , the need for speed .” ( Top Gun ) We live in an age of non-stop deadlines , commitments , and meetings . One may be tempted to run from event to event , prioritizing whatever the next activity is , but I recommend making a clear distinction between what is important versus what is urgent . I keep a to-do list on my desk divided accordingly and try to ensure that I devote time and effort to what is important .
3 . “ Focus , Daniel-san .” ( The Karate Kid ) No one can be at the top of their game all day long . Find the two- to three-hour timeframe when you are at your peak and protect that time to use for the tasks that require the most brainpower . I use this time to write papers , prepare grants , and be creative . This is not to minimize our clinical efforts , but we have been trained to provide great clinical care at all times of day and night .
4 . “ Some people can ’ t believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first .” ( Good Will Hunting ) Our careers are often outlined for us in the form of job descriptions , so I encourage my mentees to balance filling a niche with creating a niche . Outline your dream job , find others who have it , and learn from them .
5 . “ But what I do have are a very particular set of skills .”
( Taken ) The CV is the currency of careers , so keep it updated , balanced , and accurate . Common errors include overstating honors , omitting mentorship experiences , and having too high of an abstract-to-publication ratio .
9 . “ How about ‘ no ’!” ( Austin Powers in Goldmember ) The opportunities in our line of work are nearly endless . Without a deliberate strategy , good counsel , and a focused career development plan we will never learn the art of knowing when to say “ no .”
10 . “ You can ’ t handle the truth !” ( A Few Good Men ) Find one or two colleagues who can speak the utter truth to you about your performance . I have a pact with one of mine : After every talk , we give honest feedback to each other . Although we always like positive comments and a pat on the back ( albeit virtual now ), a trusted soul can tell you the brutal truth .
11 . “ You cannot live your life to please others . The choice must be yours .” ( Alice in Wonderland ) We have to “ play the game ” in our careers to meet the expected metrics of success , often via promotion and advancement . However , I encourage my mentees to define their own success consistent with their values and desires . Being home to have dinner with my family is one of my definitions of success , for example , so I protect it fiercely .
12 . “ I just don ’ t think I could take that kind of rejection .” ( Back to the Future ) Some sort of “ failure ” is inevitable in our work – a grant declined , a paper rejected , a job interview gone wrong . We have to accept that this will happen to each of us , then learn from it . These setbacks do not mean that we are failures . We are the not the sum of our papers , H-indices , grant records , or salaries . Our full lives , inside and outside of work , define us . We need to be reminded of the blessings we all enjoy every day .
Joseph Mikhael , MD , MEd Associate Editor
ASHClinicalNews . org ASH Clinical News
7