In our last post we reflected on positioning in your mind’s eye: your feelings about who this KOL is and where you are in relation to them. We used the image of them being ‘up’ and you being ‘down’ which doesn’t feel so good!
But what if you lived on a horizontal plane where others are at your level despite having something you may not have? In our culture, advanced degrees are admired but are the plumbers who our homes dry equally admired? Who ranks at the “top” for you? Or could it be that the “top” or the “bottom” need not exist? As we stand next to one another vs. being on top or the bottom, we can appreciate our differences, our gifts, and our reliance upon one another. And while we are not all the “same” in terms of what we have and do, we all are “socially equal” as human beings. With this image instead of the “up and down” image, we can meet our KOL not as better, but as valuable to one another.
Who, for example, is more important in the Intensive Care Unit? Yes, the physicians are vital, but the nurses spend more time with you and in effect become consultants to the physicians. The respiratory therapists are important for sure. How about the chaplains who work with your family? And, oh yes, those who clean your room, who sanitized your room from the last patient… Are they important also? Each of these people will affect your outcome.
In every endeavor, we are all important. This is what the effective MSL not only thinks about but also believes and behaves accordingly. Despite the stereotype, physicians don’t want you to act “less than”… They want a good, robust, thoughtful conversation answering their two main questions: Can you help me solve my problem and the ever-present question: So what?