Simply Worth It: Physician Negotiations with Dr. Linda Street

In any negotiation or conversation, language matters. Our choice of words has the power to either create a collaborative environment or an antagonistic one, and we can better inform the outcome when we practice beforehand.

Our mindset flavors the conversations we'll have, and before the negotiation, we can try on different words for size to see what works best.

How do we start this practice internally and then in lower stakes negotiations? In this episode, I talk about the power of selecting and practicing your mindset before the negotiation.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- How to eliminate negativity from the conversation

What words would create an antagonistic, tug-of-war negotiation?

- How to encourage shared success

What language can we use to create an intersectional alignment of goals?

- Why buzzwords might not work in our favor

Can coming up with a set script actually work against the conversational environment we're trying to create?

The sad truth is, toxic work environments are still alive and well in medicine. This isn't just minor annoyances - we're talking work cultures where something undesirable has mutated into something that's genuinely psychologically unsafe.

As a physician, you have a human, basic right to feel safe in your job and if that's not being served where you work, it's time to take action.

What are the signs of a toxic environment? How do we support people who are on the receiving end of a toxic culture?

In this episode, I'm sharing why a toxic work culture is something we shouldn't just accept or tolerate.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- Understanding vs. standing under

When someone is having a bad experience at work, how do we hold space for them, even if we don't share their experience?

- Work environment red flags

From bullying and belittling to gaslighting, how can we tell that we're in a psychologically unsafe environment?

- How to know it's time to exit

We usually look out for big signs that we should leave the job, but do the little signs also tell us something too?

For many physicians, the idea of being happy in your job feels like just that - an unrealistic idea or pipe dream, but it doesn't have to be.

There are things we can do to foster happiness at work so that showing up every day doesn't feel like diving into a wormhole of depression and job dissatisfaction.

In this episode, I share the 3 pillars of job satisfaction and how to set them up for yourself.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- The power of community

People are a critical piece of how we feel at work - how do we find and even create opportunities for connection?

- How to safeguard your values

How do we do our due diligence to suss out the values of an organization on the front end?

- Why happiness at work is so critical

With all the mental health struggles physicians are facing, how do we make the field a better space?

Your negotiation went well. You came to an agreement that reflects your worth, but then you get your contract and those stipulations are absent. What steps can you take if the conversation and the contract end up being two different things?

This happens a lot more often than you think, and whether it's a simple case of miscommunication or something far more concerning, you control what happens next.

How do we bring the issue up with our employers? In this episode, I'm sharing what we can do when the things we agreed to aren't spelled out in our final contracts.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- The next best thing to a contract stipulation

If the contract doesn't reflect what was agreed upon, can an email suffice?

- Deal breaker or no deal breaker

If it's not reflected in the contract, how do we know it might be time to walk?

- Innocent oversight vs. a targeted slight

Mistakes can be made in our contracts, so how do we approach the issue with a benign sense of curiosity before we think the worst?

Just like building a home, successfully negotiating your contract is not a solo effort. You need a team of key players to cheer you on and help you navigate the process with your sanity intact.

The earlier in the process you assemble the team, the smoother your negotiation will be and like your dream home, the happier you'll be with the end result.

In this episode, I'm going to share the key team players you want to collect before you begin any negotiation.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- The first team player you need to have

It's important to have a key decision-maker in your corner, but why do we need other people on the team?

- Why you need a team player who sees the blind spots

How do we find someone neutral to bounce ideas off of?

- How to round out your team

Why do we need contract advice that's relevant to our specific jobs?

For residents making the leap into their very first job, navigating interviews, contracts and salary negotiations can feel like a minefield. On one hand, you want to make sure the value you bring to the table is reflected, but on the other hand, you're socialized to take whatever's offered because of your inexperience.

How do we make sure we're not short-changing ourselves at the negotiating table? What are some of the unique pieces of the contract we need to consider?

In this episode, I'm joined by Academic Physician Coach, speaker, and founder of Joy in Family Medicine Coaching Services®, Dr. Tonya Caylor. We talk about setting yourself up for success in your first negotiation.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- Why you shouldn't use your newness to discount yourself

When our employers say there's no room for more money in our packages, should we advocate for ourselves or just accept what's on the table?

- What we have to consider about sign-on and moving bonuses

How do we insulate ourselves from complications if the job doesn't work out long-term?

- The power of internal marketing

Why do we need to put ourselves in work environments that allow us to highlight what we love about medicine?

Guest Bio

Dr. Tonya Caylor is an Academic Physician Coach for Family Medicine Residencies and Speaker for Physician Professional Fulfillment and well-being. She founded Joy in Family Medicine Coaching Services® after realizing physician coaching's power and seeing a paucity of it at the residency level.

Dr. Caylor developed a curriculum and coaching program to give physicians the tools they need to enjoy their lives and thrive in their chosen careers. She remains active clinically as on-call faculty for the Alaska Family Medicine Residency and for the local FQHC.

For more information head to https://www.joyinfamilymedicine.com.

In any negotiation, fairness is usually a front-of-mind concept - in fact, it's often the measure with which we judge the success of the entire process. But here's the challenge, fairness isn't as simple as a singular yardstick. It's actually made up of multiple facets that sometimes conflict with each other.

With that in mind, how do we take fairness to the negotiating table and make sure we're ticking the boxes that matter?

In this episode, I share how to approach the concept of fairness so that you walk into the negotiation with a tangible way to achieve it.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- How to determine what a fair offer looks like for you

How do you move forward when fairness has multiple norms that often conflict with one another?

- The interplay between equality and equity

Is it possible to get something that's equal to everyone else while also taking previous barriers into account?

- How to make fairness a priority for your employer

Can we have fairness when the other side wants to maintain the status quo?

Getting a job that serves us often requires us to tweak or modify our current work environment, but what if the situation is too far gone and too toxic to salvage?

Many of us are guilty of staying in negative situations a lot longer than we should, damaging not only our careers but also our health. We're typically more biased towards staying with the devil we know, even if it destroys us, so how do we combat it?

In this episode, I'm sharing how to know when quitting is the only option, and why severing the tie sooner than later saves us a ton of pain and anguish.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- Comfort vs. predictability

What makes us hesitant to change jobs even when we know it's harming us?

- Ways to safeguard against staying too long in a bad situation

How do we create a "prenup" with our jobs and insulate ourselves from staying longer than we should?

- The perils of grit

Resilience is something physicians are known and praised for, but how does it hurt us in our jobs?

Non-compete clauses have never been beneficial to physicians. They are notoriously difficult to negotiate out of. They keep us trapped in toxic work cultures, and they back us into career moves that can be harmful.

I'd also argue that non-competes also harm employers and the economy as a whole. Removing this barrier would be highly beneficial to a lot of people, so I'm encouraged by the FTC's proposal to end non-compete clauses.

What would changing this rule mean for physicians? In this episode, I share my thoughts on the proposal to ban non-competes.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- The problem with handcuffing people to the job

Is there a better and more humane way to increase retention and encourage physicians to be loyal?

- Why physician burnout needs to be a solved at the systemic level

How do we create work cultures that support less burnout?

- What happens next

Before the decision is made, what actions can we take?

If you really think about it, most of the goals and resolutions we set at the beginning of the year are often based on having more - more money, more stuff, and more responsibilities.

In the spirit of un-goals and values, what if we set the intention to have less? Could we achieve more by having a lot less on our plates?

There are plenty of opportunities for excess, but that could create clutter and barriers that make life more stressful.

In this episode, I'm sharing why I'm aiming for having a lot less this year.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

- Why it's so easy to accumulate more

There are plenty of opportunities for excess when you have a lot of spending power. How do you use that power wisely?

- The lesson I learned recently

It's so easy to get caught up in having more and adding to our plates, but do we have to do all the things?

- How to get used to less

Many of us get a little itchy when we have extra time on our hands, how do we get ourselves to just enjoy the free time?