PHYSICIAN LEADERS
Leadership Lessons I Learned from My Dog
by VALERIE BRIONES-PRYOR , MD
Growing up , I was fortunate to have two fur babies in my life . Buster and Bear were Cairn terriers , like Toto in The Wizard of Oz . Though they were from the same litter and a bonded pair , they were complete opposites . Bear was my loyal companion , who did not leave my side and took every opportunity to cuddle in my lap , whereas Buster was into everything and never stayed still . My parents had gotten them for us after my brothers and I constantly pestered them for a pet , thinking that the dogs would teach us responsibility . However , it was my mother who bore the responsibility for their care and my brothers and I were just their playmates .
When my son started pestering me and my husband for a pet , we knew that it would only be a matter of time until we added a dog to our family . We did wait a long time before we gave in , both my husband and I remembering our childhoods and the responsibilities our parents had taken on in caring for and training the dogs . To my son ’ s credit , he did pass all our requirements to get a dog , like making good grades , doing his chores and caring for
his pet fish . When the first trimester grades rolled around last fall and he had all A ’ s again , we knew we could not hold him off any longer . That ’ s when Miles came into our lives .
We adopted Miles from the animal shelter . He was 2 months old when they found him wandering around the streets with his brother , and he was almost 3 months old when we adopted him . He was described to us as a Labrador mix that would get to 60lbs at the most . Well , at 11 months old now , he is past 80lbs and still growing . We adopted him with the commitment that we would also hire a trainer to work with us to get him trained and be a good canine citizen . My son was over the moon until the first night Miles cried all night and then pooped on the floor . And just like our parents , my husband and I became the caregivers and trainers , while my son is Miles ’ favorite playmate .
Over the past eight months of having Miles in my life , I have had plenty of time to observe him and reflect on the many similarities there are with being Miles ’ pet parent to my life as a physician leader . Granted , I have been a physician leader much longer than Miles has been part of my family , but he constantly teaches me something new or reminds me of very important lessons that translate well to leadership , especially when trying to lead through change .
10 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE