“There’s enough success to go around.”

“Leave win-lose relationships.”

It’s good stuff, right?

There’s so much more to being an academic radiologist than making the diagnosis. Teaching and modeling teamwork and good communication were at the forefront of my many tasks today. I’m excited to be working with a group of residents on a project where we will gain medical knowledge and refine our team building and communication skills. I hope it goes well. There’s no guarantee as I’m a novice at mentoring, but I’m embracing putting my values and feelings and foibles on the table.

During one of my conversations today, I used this drawing my son made in the 6th grade as a talking point. I had copied and posted it on the wall at my previous job where teamwork was not what I’d hoped. When I left, I brought it to my new job where I keep it next to my desk. Today, it caught my eye after the resident coming into my office commented on the array of art work in the room. I automatically started to tell him about each piece, leaving Calvin’s drawing for last as I went around the room. It was the smallest and tucked next to my computer. When I started to pull it out to show it to him, it occurred to me it was a perfect way to enter into the conversation I wanted to have regarding my aspirations for cultivating a healthy team dynamic with clear boundaries and respect for all contributions.