January 2022
BOOK – Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
by Adam Grant
Selected by Dr. Arif Nazir:
“As expected, Adam did not fail to impress and influence many of us. This book is loaded with many novel ideas that could be critical for our professional and personal lives. More importantly, he does a great job putting into words many concepts that we may have sensed, but could not define.”
Take Home Messages:
- Our beliefs, like other things we own, need to be thought over periodically, and we should be ready to pivot on them as we gain more knowledge.
- It’s okay to have elements of preaching, prosecuting, and politicking, but we can’t use these as main approaches to have conversations. We need to use the scientist mode so we can be more objective in how we firm our ideas and how we aim to influence others.
- We’re most likely to be overconfident about our abilities in domains in which we lack competence. All of us have areas of knowledge where we reside on “Mount Stupid.” We need to have awareness and humility to climb down!
- We should aim to detach our opinions from our identity. When opinions are linked too closely with our identity, we are less open to new information and evidence that may challenge our deeply held beliefs.
- When convincing others (e.g., value of COVID-19 vaccines), more information is not always better. Rely on two to three key points, and be humble and sincere in delivering them only after you have heard the other person’s concerns.
- Good negotiation often involves humility, understanding, and patience.
- Believe in the power of practice, and employ “motivational Interviewing” in professional and personal matters. Instead of aggressive persuasion, you ask open-ended questions, engage in reflective listening, and affirm the person’s desire and ability to change.
- In your organizations, get rid of the “performance culture” and instead promote a “learning culture” that requires “psychological safety” and “process accountability.”
- Don’t push children to commit to what they want to be when they grow up. With their limited experiences and information, they may get stuck with a less than meaningful (for them) aspiration, and fall short of their potential – a concept called Identity Foreclosure).
November 2021
BOOK – The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
by Chip Heath
Selected by Dr. Arif Nazir:
“I found this book at an airport and got hooked after just a couple pages. I personally have seen the value that comes from leveraging the right moments. Focusing on key moments will help us to be better communicators, better influencers and better messengers—all attributes that will make us better clinicians who provide better person-centered care.”
Take Home Messages:
- Every day we pass by many opportunities to make ordinary moments special, for us and for others we work and live with. Let us strategize to make these moments meaningful and memorable.
- Companies can be more successful by focusing on simple routines and making them special e.g., first day/week at work, celebration of simple but important landmarks e.g., 3 months at the company, 1000th patient encounter, 1000 pills deprescribed etc.
- Routine learning can be made fun by strategic surprises and by respectful silliness.
- First patient encounter is an excellent opportunity to connect with them just by listening more intently.
- An angry patient/family could be the best opportunity to make a meaningful and everlasting connection.
- SHC Med Partners can employ many of the lessons and take a big leap towards even better culture.
- SHC Med Partners need to do a whole lot more to create powerful interactions with facility staff.
- It’s not about meeting expectations, but exceeding expectations.
- SHC Med Partners COJ team will lead a conversation to operationalize some of these critical lessons to elevate the culture of positivity.