What I Learned From My Baby's Doctor

Dr. McFarland came into our room a few hours after our first baby was born. Because of COVID-19 we didn’t get the chance for the planned tour and interview with the pediatric group, so there was a little nervousness about whether we made a good selection.

After basic introductions, she asked me, “What do you do for work?”

“I’m a sales consultant” I responded, unsure if she wanted more detail than that.

“What industry do you sell for?” she asked.

“I work with sales teams across a range of industries helping them get better.”

“That’s really interesting. I’ve never come across someone who does that. How did you get into that?”

I shared that “after some years as an engineer, and then some years as a top performing salesperson, I found the thing that combined my strengths and that I was meant to do.”

She proceeded to ask my wife some questions about what she does for work, and it turned out she too started as a school teacher.  The doctor shared with us that she strongly believes in establishing a “therapeutic alliance” with her patients. She explained, “If I don’t truly understand my patients, how can I know how to communicate with them, what level of detail they might need, and the best way to help them understand.” I told her if she ever wanted a career change to let me know, as those instincts are what we help sales teams build into their DNA.

We will never go wrong in a client-facing role (or life) if we take a genuine interest in others and listen to understand. As you can see, it’s time to go change some diapers…