Part II of my conversation with Dr. Bart Kaczmarek on permission, the shrinking gap between an idea and the first move, and what physicians get wrong about capacity
The part I keep coming back to since we recorded this is the cutting versus adding thing. Residency trains you to just keep saying yes. One more thing, then five more, then ten. Nobody ever teaches you the opposite skill. I had to relearn that on purpose, and giving up my stake in that building for a dollar was probably the clearest version of it. Worth real money on paper, worth nothing next to what it was costing me in attention.
The idea-to-action gap gets all the attention in this one, and it should, but the harder skill underneath it is just being willing to remove things. Building something new is easy by comparison.
Thanks - I do agree with you that that is so hard instinctually as doctors to cut something and prune an activity or a skill that we’ve cultivated for some time. But what it frees up for you in time and mental bandwidth tends to be much more valuable in the long run!
This is such a great example of how innovation didn’t begin with a grand business plan but with someone trying to solve their own problem. I especially love the idea of shortening the distance between having an idea and acting on it. That’s where so much learning and possibility lives.
Thanks Florence! It's interesting that this was a solution born to solve a distinct problem, and that person thought they were the only one having it! Thanks also for pointing out the value in shortening the distance between thought and action - we can run more 'career experiments' if we compress the time between those things, and in running more experiments, the sooner we improve and hit our goals!
Scott and Bart. Absolutely inspiring conversation. I love that your workflow is adding jobs and patients with improved access and care delivery. This is completely opposite of what "leaders" would suggest and to be honest, what I would have said before reading and listening. Thanks for opening my eyes. Scott - keep these conversations going.
Hi Jake, thank you so much not only for your readership, but also for your thoughtful note and open-mindedness about this novel approach that Bart had for his clinic! One thing that resonated with me about it is the match between the person and physician that Bart is, and the way he's delivering care to his patient panel. And I can see that other physicians could have a totally different style and different practice - and have their own unique match.
But it's satisfying to see the way he used leverage, innovative structure, and trust in his team to redefine the practice - and is now spreading his impact to other practices.
The part I keep coming back to since we recorded this is the cutting versus adding thing. Residency trains you to just keep saying yes. One more thing, then five more, then ten. Nobody ever teaches you the opposite skill. I had to relearn that on purpose, and giving up my stake in that building for a dollar was probably the clearest version of it. Worth real money on paper, worth nothing next to what it was costing me in attention.
The idea-to-action gap gets all the attention in this one, and it should, but the harder skill underneath it is just being willing to remove things. Building something new is easy by comparison.
Thanks - I do agree with you that that is so hard instinctually as doctors to cut something and prune an activity or a skill that we’ve cultivated for some time. But what it frees up for you in time and mental bandwidth tends to be much more valuable in the long run!
This is such a great example of how innovation didn’t begin with a grand business plan but with someone trying to solve their own problem. I especially love the idea of shortening the distance between having an idea and acting on it. That’s where so much learning and possibility lives.
Thanks Florence! It's interesting that this was a solution born to solve a distinct problem, and that person thought they were the only one having it! Thanks also for pointing out the value in shortening the distance between thought and action - we can run more 'career experiments' if we compress the time between those things, and in running more experiments, the sooner we improve and hit our goals!
Scott and Bart. Absolutely inspiring conversation. I love that your workflow is adding jobs and patients with improved access and care delivery. This is completely opposite of what "leaders" would suggest and to be honest, what I would have said before reading and listening. Thanks for opening my eyes. Scott - keep these conversations going.
Hi Jake, thank you so much not only for your readership, but also for your thoughtful note and open-mindedness about this novel approach that Bart had for his clinic! One thing that resonated with me about it is the match between the person and physician that Bart is, and the way he's delivering care to his patient panel. And I can see that other physicians could have a totally different style and different practice - and have their own unique match.
But it's satisfying to see the way he used leverage, innovative structure, and trust in his team to redefine the practice - and is now spreading his impact to other practices.
Stay tuned for coming conversations!