The H.R. Doctor Is In
Every Parents Dream There Is a
Doctor In the House!
Dear Dr. Rachel,
How amazing it is to be able to
write to you and recognize your magnificent achievement of
graduation from medical school! To see you enter the
graduation ceremony stage at one end as Ms. Rachel Rosenberg
and "exit stage right" as licensed physician "Dr. Rachel" is
the kind of dream that all parents hope for their
children.
You have evolved so very far
from the very beautiful little infant who commanded my
presence so often in the middle of the night. Your new status
is also a joy that is shared by every other family member, as
well as your extended family of friends, colleagues, and
perhaps the 11 people around the country who read the HR
Doctor articles.
It is a joy to be shared
because, in a real sense, your graduation from medical school
is a metaphor for the achievement of one very major life
milestone and the beginning of many others.
Being able to achieve important
goals and dreams alone is not enough. What is the source of
real joy is to combine those achievements with not only a
brief period of celebrating, but with an immediate commitment
to find and accept new challenges Ð challenges that will allow
you to contribute way more than you or I might have ever
thought possible. These other goals can now be launched from a
higher plane of knowledge and experience.
Successful physicians, not to
mention engineers, baseball coaches, business owners and every
person who is a manager must also be a human resources manager
in order to be successful. Successfully keeping a young child
healthy requires a team effort just as a successful surgery
does. Without the team being successful, the individual
members of the team will not succeed.
What this means in terms of free
advice from the HR Daddy is that the key to your success is to
be part of a team and create a team of people that knows you
are committed to their success.
It means not falling prey to the
deadliest of all diseases in society one not
covered in medical school arrogant pride. You know
that you now have the title "doctor" in front of your name,
which means that you will be entitled to and will receive
deference, a high degree of privilege and recognition.
However, dont take any of that too seriously to the point
where you forget that you are not entitled to any of that
recognition and privilege unless you continually earn it by
showing a clear commitment every day, on duty and off duty, to
the success of other people and to being a champion for
others. This is what our lives are really all about as
professionals in any field.
Recently, I talked to you about
having a big party to celebrate your "doctor-hood." When you
said that you would prefer no party, but rather a quiet
celebration, I initially began a minor degree of whining about
how great it would be to have our friends together in
celebration.
In thinking carefully about your
response, I have come to understand your continued wisdom. The
idea of such a party is derived from our pride as parents Ð
perhaps excessive pride. You have healed me of that by your
calm and more mature desire for quiet joy rather than public
joy.
So, Doctor Daughter, use your
new license and title to be far more than a medical
practitioner applying drugs, therapies, tests, etc., to the
people who trust their well-being to you. Dont be a doctor,
be a healer. Help people preserve and improve health rather
than just intervene clinically after a problem has already
occurred.
Contribute in the community
through volunteer work at a United Way, Women In Distress, or
any of the hundreds of other charities that need your skills,
advice, and support. Find joy every day in your continued
studies, your family-practice residency program, and your
daily practice. Dont ever lose your sense of humor and your
sense of respect for other people.
Your sister, the beautiful HR
daughter Elyse, wonderful mom Charlotte, the HR spouse, and I
stand in awe and send you our congratulations, our respect and
our love. Even the HR pets Kamala, Nimbus and Louie take pride
in knowing that we may at last have a source of health care
through your colleagues who might even consider waiving our
co-pay as a professional courtesy!
The proud but not
arrogant HR Dad.
Phil Rosenberg
http://www.hrdr.net/
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