It's often not the big power moves that change our lives; it's the small, intentional actions. By focusing on micro-skills, even the most ambitious goals become achievable.

In this episode, we talk with Drs. Adaira Landry and Resa E. Lewiss about their new book, MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact.  We explore how financial literacy, self-presentation, concise communication, and allyship can be developed as essential micro-skills for a successful career. We also navigate workplace dynamics, including recognizing and addressing issues like mansplaining and bropropriating. Finally, we discuss the nuances of learning when to say “yes” or “no,” and the art of timely, respectful communication.

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Guest Bios:  ADAIRA LANDRY, MD, MEd, is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studied and trained at University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; New York University; and Harvard with almost a decade of experience mentoring students and early-career professionals. She is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and award winning mentor. She co-founded Writing in Color, a nonprofit that teaches the craft of writing.

RESA E LEWISS MD is a professor of emergency medicine, TEDMED speaker, TimesUp Healthcare founder, designer, entrepreneur, and award winning educator, mentor, and point-of-care ultrasound specialist. She studied at Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the NIH Howard Hughes Research Scholars Program, Harvard Emergency Medicine, and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt. She hosts the Visible Voices Podcast, amplifying content in the healthcare, equity, and current trends spaces.

They have written for CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Nature, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Science, Slate, STAT News, Teen Vogue, VOGUE, and USA Today.

We Discuss:

• The Concept of Micro-Skills
• Financial Literacy and Debt Management
• Performing a Debt Inventory to Understand the Landscape of Your Debt
• Appearance Matters and Personal Hygiene is a Skill That Doesn't Always Come Naturally
• Timing and Context are Critical When Checking In or Providing Feedback
• We’re Trained to be Cumbersome in Communication When What We Need is to be Succinct
• Don't Bury The Lead
• Role-Playing to Improve Communication
• Learning from Experience and Modeling. Do we Leave Too Much Up to Chance?
• Micro-Skills for Self-Care and Burnout Prevention: The Art of Saying No
• Responding to Emails Promptly and Respecting Deadlines are Force Multipliers
• Addressing Mansplaining and Bropropriating
• The Power of Allyship
• Recommended Books

Mentioned in this episode:

5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death.

Free Resources Link

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