Can you honestly say that you are thriving in the way you had hoped in your career? Research shows that by mid-career, most doctors and professionals are just about surviving in their working lives but are generally far from where they had hoped they would be when they were younger.
As a doctor, professional or as a leader, in 2017 and beyond you will without doubt be facing new and emerging challenges which have never been seen before, ‘vu deja’, in an increasingly complex, volatile and uncertain environment. How you lead your staff and teams, manage yourself and your emotions, and build relationships across systems will be crucial to your professional and leadership success. Emotional agility will help you to do this skillfully on a moment by moment basis, helping you to being clear about what you are doing and why, and managing your emotions effectively and with self kindness in the process. In a world of competing demands for your attention, learning emotional agility skills will help you to flexibly shift your attention to focus on what really matters. In the face of multiple demands, you can develop the skills to support you to sustain yourself for a long and varied career, preventing burnout and energy depletion.
Emotional Agility, also known as ‘Psychological Flexibility’, is steadily replacing Emotional Intelligence as the new paradigm for flourishing in both leadership roles and the workplace (and in the whole of life!). Grounded in Contextual Behaviour Science (‘third wave Cognitive Behaviour Therapy’), emotional agility has six dimensions, briefly outlined below.
Being Open
- Becoming disentangled with your thoughts (defusion)
- Opening up to difficulty (acceptance)
Being Aware
- Being fully present in the moment (contact with the present moment)
- Being aware of the self as an observer (self as context)
Taking Action
- Knowing your chosen life directions (values)
- Taking action in line with what matters (committed action)
Psychological Flexibility, based on Acceptance and Commitment Training, is the main empirical model I work with in coaching, and I find that doctor, professionals and leaders all really resonate with the approach and grow greatly in their emotional agility during the coaching relationship and beyond.
Whether you are wanting to progress as a leader, are having difficulty managing your emotions or relationships at work, or are struggling with work-life balance and burnout, learning to be more open, more aware, and consciously taking committed action can transform your career and is the most evidenced based way to lead you up the ‘upward curve’ towards greater flourishing and wellbeing in your working life.
Dr Fiona Day is the world’s only Leadership Coach with advanced coaching psychology, medical and public health qualifications (MBChB, FFPH, BPS Chartered Psychologist in Coaching Psychology, EMCC Master Practitioner Coach & Mentor) and is in a unique position to help you and your teams to flourish. Fiona specialises in coaching medical and public health leaders, is a coach Supervisor, and an EQA Foundation Award Holder. Get 3 hours of FREE CPD with Fiona’s Health Career Success Programme here. Book a free confidential 30 minute Consultation with Fiona here.
