Is there a High Performance Doctor in the house who is thriving?
Every doctor I have coached has been a high achiever to be practicing medicine. Many would not describe themselves that way when they arrive at coaching, despite the evidence on their CV. Blame imposter phenomenon, perfectionism, burnout, the system. They are demoralised or conflicted, lacking clarity about their future in medicine. Even those who are esteemed leaders can be questioning their performance, often a welcome sign of awareness.
Even though a doctor might recognise their past high achieving when they arrive at coaching, they do not generally describe themselves as high performers, too much hubris.
All want to be high performers in my view. The doctors I have met have been striving for excellent patient outcomes, positive peer regard and have been managing their reputations, grappling with what others will think of them. That’s why in part, doctors are reluctant to admit when they are struggling, to their colleagues.
Despite a history of high achievement, a desire to be high functioning, delivering high performance, many doctors conclude they are no longer able to deliver, because they are thwarted by the system. A system that creates conditions that are antithetical to high performance, no matter how capable the individual doctor may be.
How is it that medicine can gather up hundreds of high achieving, high performing students each year and then systematically reduce their performance, their functioning, so much that a significant percentage of junior and early mid-career doctors want to leave the profession they dreamt about being a part of?
What do you think of when I use that phrase – high performance doctor?
High performance is on the list with resilience and wellbeing, concepts many doctors push back against. I don’t really understand this. Doctors have shown themselves the world over, to be resilient. They are high achievers from their teen years and trusted to care for others when they are vulnerable. The association between doctors being well and better patient outcomes, is well established.
Why wouldn’t doctors want to be high performers who are resilient and well? Why demonise these aspirations that represent a win for all stakeholders?
As your patient I welcome your desire to be a high performer, to be ambitious for my wellbeing and recovery. I hope you are resilient and well so that you can stay the course with me. I am praying to the Gods that I meet a high performing doctor, whenever I enter a medical ‘house’ (hospital).
Human performance is directly related to our state of wellbeing. Wellbeing is essentially about our capacity to perform now and into the future in ways that will be of benefit to me. Wellbeing begets wellbeing begets high performance (even optimal performance).
When you have the flu and lay in bed, body aching, nose running, coughing, sleeping, no appetite, you have little or no capacity to perform anything, except recovery. You stay in bed letting your immune system take all the energy it needs to fight the invading pathogen. All of your energy is focused on one activity – recovery.
When you are well, you have the capacity to choose what you do with your energy, which activities you will perform. Will you go to the gym, to work, to that zoom meeting after dinner. Will you phone your mum or help your child do their homework. When you have more energy, you have more willingness, more ability to perform well.
High performance tends to conjure images of elite athletes and formula one race cars.
Sure, for Oscar Piastri high performance is definitely about going faster.
What does high performance mean for you in your medical career?
Is it making Professor or Consultant early, at a younger age? Perhaps it is about which colleagues refer to you, or why they refer to you. I want to invite you to think about high performance as much more than working harder or faster, about much more than doing another Masters. More than having the longest waiting list or earning the most money.
Perhaps high performance is about having real clarity about what to do with your energy, when. To be able to make effective decisions in real time about when to go hard, when to pause and wait, when to seek help, when to rest. Is it about clarity of mind and values, emotional regulation, maintaining grace under pressure? About your capacity to communicate with empathy and compassion, in the presence of suffering?
What does high performance doctor mean to you? Do you want to be high performing or high functioning in your work, or have you let that dream go?
If you do want to be a high performing doctor, what needs to happen in you, for you and around you? Does performing at a high level improve your wellbeing, help you thrive? Help your patients and colleagues thrive?
How can you help to create the conditions that will allow you and your colleagues to be high performers, achieving excellence?
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Sharee Johnson is the Founder, Managing Director, Principal Coach at Coaching for Doctors. She is the bestselling author of The Thriving Doctor: How to be more balanced and fulfilled, working in medicine and a Registered Psychologist. She has written extensively about doctor wellbeing, performance and coaching, delivers workshops to doctors and speaks at medical conferences. You can connect with her on Linkedin and Instagram.
Start by booking a call or sending me an email and let’s talk about how you or your team can experience the value and impact of professional coaching.
Recalibrate in 2025
Immersion Development Program for Doctors
Restore Balance and Joy: Build your intra and interpersonal skills.
6 x 1:1 Coaching sessions with Psychologist Coach, Sharee Johnson
24 hrs Masterclasses with a closed group of doctors (max 12)
Develop in ways that will help you reconnect to your purpose.
The Thriving Doctor
Sharee Johnson’s book The Thriving Doctor is available in all good bookstores or online.
Sharee has been coaching doctors since 2014, find out more about her work
