The Missing Piece

1. skills (physical and intellectual)
2. capabilities (mental, physical and psychological)
3. circumstances (physiological, monetary, geographic and genetic)
4. relationships (personal, professional and peripheral)
5. intentions (or ambitions)
6. convictions (or beliefs)
7. emotions (feelings and mood)
   …and number 8…
8. benefaction (coach, advisor, or guide)

Suggestions for the Whole Physician

The eighth piece – the “missing piece” – for far too many physicians is benefaction; having a coach. More specifically, an expert coach. When we are experiencing the frustration of hitting the wall, overcoming obstacles or getting the same results over and over, we tend to repress or deny it and keep it to ourselves, locked tight – after all, we are smart enough to solve any problem we have, right? Those physicians who do seek guidance often feel that it reflects negatively on their ability to “handle their own problems.”

The right coach, the right guide can have a positive impact on a life and career beyond estimation. But are coaches only for those physicians who have problems? Who have performance issues? Who are not as successful, rewarded, or fulfilled as they want to be?

Everyone, absolutely everyone can benefit from sincere, expert coaching – bottom line. Reluctance stems from the inevitable questions, “Is it even going to be worth my money and time?” “Do I need to lay down on a couch and blab my life story to a coach?” “Isn’t coaching just a bunch of theories and feel-good platitudes?” These are understandable questions; coaching, its purpose, methodology and benefits are still not universally understood.

Admittedly, it is not a must to have a coach, and yes you can evolve yourself upward, achieving “ascension” without a coach, but with a coach, you will get there much quicker, better and most importantly with more confidence and no you do not need to lay down and tell your whole life story. Virtual coaching, that is coaching conducted over the internet is spectacularly successful and effective in empowering the coachee.

The best athletes would be on a lower level if they did not have a coach/trainer, you train better with a personal trainer, someone holds you accountable and gets you faster out of your comfort zone than when you do it alone. Believe it or not, the more successful you are, the more coaches you could benefit from. Expert coaches for fitness, finance, relationships, and every conceivable profession and endeavor. This includes coaches, who have coaches, who have coaches. This is because they have learned the invaluable benefits of having great coaches.

Some of the innumerable benefits of becoming whole by adding the missing piece are:

1. Partners with You to Reach Your Potential
It may (or may not) be surprising to you that lack of confidence or fear of failure (even among successful physicians) is one of the most significant issues I see as a coach, and most coaches see. With a lot of questions, the best coaches will understand and help you understand the source of the lack of confidence and fear of failure. Once the cause is identified, your coach will give you resources and strategies to get you where you want to be. You will understand that you create your potential, and your coach sees that you can reach it and sees no limitations. The next step is creating a plan of action together with your coach, which helps you see and comprehend how best to do it.

2. Accountability Partner
Some like it and others find it annoying that a coach holds you accountable.
“This is exactly why I don’t want a coach, because I don’t want anyone telling me what to do.”  Sound familiar?  Most physicians do not want to be told what to do – but we do want someone to support and encourage us to reach our goals. A coach is this ‘accountability partner.’   This accountability could be in the form of assignments or motivation, inspiration, and encouragement.  Good coaches will routinely inquire as to your progress towards your goals and plan. It can be easy to make excuses as to why you did not stick to the plan, but your coach will help you move from giving reasons to accepting accountability for what was achieved and – most importantly – adjusts the plan to ensure success.

3. Get’s You Comfortable Being “Uncomfortable”
Breaking out of your comfort zone is something that takes a mighty effort, pain, and tremendous discipline. Habits create inertia because they are something we have practiced for a long time and internalized. Changing habits takes time. A coach will push you more than you will push yourself. Saying goodbye to your cozy, familiar comfort-zone with the help and support from your coach, will much, much easier to achieve.

4. Enables Growth and Expansion (greater capacity to Lead)
Your coach’s probing will help you start to think about more and more things in greater depth and clarity – thus, you will see things differently. This means that your vision is expanding; your control over your thinking grows exponentially. Your attitude, perspective, mentality and overall disposition will be reframed, strengthened and reenergized.

5. Guides You to Become “Present”
Your coach can help you become aware of your limited perceptions. These blind spots are areas in your work as a physician or personality that you do not see – that you currently cannot see – but that are energy drainers and detrimental to your progress and improvement. Once you are aware of these areas, you can work with the coach and begin to identify and isolate them for targeted elimination.

Including the missing piece will result in wholeness and empowerment unlike anything – in terms of life experience – you’ve known on your own. Coaching can help you design and reach where you want to go – it’s really is that simple.

Teresa Dean Malcolm, MD, MBA, CPE, ACC, is zealous in her belief that an exceptional experience in clinical care, the human(e) experience, can be achieved. She has served in executive positions, integrating people with process and purpose, and successfully aligning the ideas of the team with a compelling vision. Her coaching philosophy, The Malcolm Method, is rooted in the principles of social and emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and strengths-based leadership. Through-thought provoking conversations, she strives to deepen the awareness of her physician clients and further their actions, thereby helping them to thrive as they lead. Dr. Malcolm (known to friends and family as Terri) is a loving wife to her husband, Nate. Together they have three charming and athletic boys, Nathaniel, and twins, Roman and Colton.