Reflection: Passing it On

This past week, I had the great honor of sitting in a (virtual) room with five individuals who have dedicated decades of their careers to leadership in graduate medical education (GME).

The idea for this gathering started one morning when I woke up thinking about how tough leading in GME can be. I see it firsthand in friends, colleagues, and the leaders I coach. At the same time, I had recently interacted with each of these five leaders in different contexts, who have stayed in GME leadership longer than most, and I was struck by the depth of their wisdom earned over decades.

So, I reached out to them with a proposal: What if we created a panel series where I facilitated a conversation to help them share their insights with early and mid-career faculty leader, along with those considering stepping into leadership?

They said yes! And even better, one of them connected our panel with the Rural Medical Training Collaborative (RMTC) annual meeting, where our proposal was accepted. In April, we’ll be presenting, what I hope to be the first of several, panel discussions in Santa Fe. (Join us!)

In preparation, I asked current and aspiring leaders, “If you could pick their brains, what would you want to know?” They provided such rich and questions.

This past week’s meeting was about sparking the panelists’ thinking—reviewing the questions, what lessons do they most want to pass on? How do we prioritize those? (Because you know they have more than an hour’s worth of wisdom).

As the conversation unfolded, I found myself sitting back, in awe.

Their wisdom, transparency, and willingness to be vulnerable steered our short meeting in a way that was both organic and deeply impactful.

These leaders have already experienced a career’s worth of the multiplier effect—the rippling impact of their teaching, mentorship, sponsorship, and leadership as each individual they had contact with passed it on to several more.

And I have no doubt that this first panel will only further that influence, leaving a lasting mark on the next generation of faculty leaders.

Reflection Question: What’s one piece of wisdom or insight that has shaped the way you lead or teach? And how are you passing that on?

I'll keep you posted as plans unfold for future panels.