a novel way to manage your reputation

from www.hollisterstaff.com

Over the years I have come to realize that my medical community is pretty small. Because of this fact - people [that I have never met] have opinions of me. This is my reputation and it didn't happen by accident. 

We all know about those docs in the hospital that "throw tantrums in the O.R." or "always have bad consults".  We garner these reputations with our personal interactions, our written communications, the committees that we sit on, the lectures that we give, students that we teach and with how we practise our medicine. 

You are not immune - . There are perceptions out there about you. These perceptions could be good or bad , but they will affect how people interact with you.  They will affect how people judge you. The good news is that, over time – one’s good deeds overshadow the bad – it’s the pattern of behavior that defines our reputation. The first thing that you can do to create this reputation is to think of yourself as your own personal brand name.

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. … our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You"

The Art of Personal Branding

1) Brand yourself by:

• Reflection – What are you really about? Take time to think about this. Ask others.
• Recreation – You have to be true to your brand. Walk the walk and be consistent at it.
• Reaction – Things will happen that smear the brand – react to these moments. Make it right.
• Revolution – As a discipline we need to actively buck the negative ideas our colleagues have of us. Here’s a good start:

We need to collectively step up our game. Can you imagine what the brand of “Emergency Medicine” would be like if every ER doc in the world emulated what we read on LIFEINTHEFASTLANE,  AcademicLifeinEM  and BoringEM [to name a few]

2) Package yourself by:

• Looking professional – First impressions count. This is what adult patients and paeds parentsthink of our dress code. Our colleagues wear white coats – why don’t we? Yes white coats are fomites – what do you think of rolling up/tailoring the sleeves? Taking them off? Using them primarily when you’re teaching? What ever you decide to do – recognise that you’re “on show” – ill-fitting creased up and shabby cargo pants + scrub top is not ideal.
• Acting professional – It's tough to do, but one has to take the high road. One must be accountable for personal decisions.
• Communicating like a professional – Your communication style says a lot about your brand. If you want to be perceived as thoughtful and intelligent – you have to come across that way.

3) Market yourself by:

• Collaborating – “If you want people to talk about the wonderful things you do, then you must give them the opportunity to experience you” [G.R]. I was recently invited to help a senior anesthesiology resident give a Grand Rounds on Tranexamic acid. It was a good debate. No less than 4 anesthesiologists subsequently came up to me in the hospital to chat in the coffee line or in the corridor – That’s bridge building!
• Connecting – Join boards and committees. Do stuff for your regional College of Physicians. Connect with other professionals on LinkedIn. This is invaluable networking and garners respect for not only you, but also your discipline.
• Collegiating – Okay that’s not a real word, but what I mean to say is that we should engage in more collegial behavior. Ever get those “Hospital Staff Gala Dinner” invites in the mail? Ever gone to one of them? I recently participated in the new hospital design process. I got to roll up my sleeves alongside a variety of colleagues including the up and ups from hospital admin – all of us developed a new respect for each other.
• Culturing and curating – We teach all the learners in the system at one point or another. By being true to our brand and by packaging ourselves as professionals will eventually create a cultural shift. We will finally have the recognition and respect that our discipline deserves. The challenge then will be to nurture this incredibly hard-earned respect.

Resource Articles:
Fastcompany article