This is the conclusion of a two-part autobiographical article from PRN member John C. Chang, MD, MBA titled “What Medical School Didn’t Teach Me, I Learned in Business School”
Part one of this series can be found at this link.
Upon entering the EMBA program, I applied the same discipline and work ethic which allowed me to excel in medical school and surgical residency. However, I soon realized individual performance was only a small fraction of what was necessary to perform in the team-based curriculum of the business school. As a divisional leader of my department, I believed I was already well versed in team work by working in various teams and clinical groups. The EMBA program redefined what teamwork really meant by compelling us to work with other equally matched, highly seasoned executives from a diverse spectrum of industries. In such a setting, physician egos and sense of positional leadership often hinder one’s ability to function well in the non-clinical world. I learned a valuable lesson through such team dynamics that even when I’m right, I can be wrong. This is often a difficult concept for some physicians since medical culture favors a highly structured hierarchy and promotes positional authority over collaboration.
A particular strength of my EMBA program stressed leadership development. Through applying various leadership frameworks, I established a stronger bond with my office staff and facilitated an egalitarian team-based approach among the physicians in my group. I gained great personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment through encouraging the growth of my employees and colleagues. To my surprise, this rivaled the level of personal satisfaction I felt in helping patients improve their medical health. I realized my calling in life may not be limited to helping people only in my capacity as a physician, but also as a leader in helping others grow and prosper. Leading others allowed me to fulfill my fundamental desire to “help people in a meaningful way.” Up until this point of my career, I felt the only way to achieve this was through my role as a physician.
The EMBA program also promoted me to engage in disciplined self reflection. Critically assessing and exploring my strengths and weaknesses helped me appreciate where I needed to apply my energy to improve my leadership skills. It was difficult for me to learn to curb my perfectionist tendencies in order to seek a more harmonious balance. By virtue of making changes to my behavior at work, I couldn’t help but to apply these same leadership and teamwork concepts to my home life as well. My spouse and I became an even stronger team through better communication and collaboration. Throughout it all I gained clarity of my life’s priorities and made decisive changes to align both my personal and professional lives with those goals.
‘
As I boarded my flight and took my seat on the plane, I was enthusiastic about what lay ahead for my career path. Medical school taught me a great deal about medicine, but I gained a new perspective on myself and how I provide value for those I interact, in the pursuit of the my MBA. Ironically, the most valuable lessons I learned were not about balance sheets and interest rates, but about me.
PRN encourages members and readers to tell us about their experiences in enhancing or changing their careers. Please email your stories to us and we will consider it for publication on the website.
