We sat down with Nandan Gautam, Consultant ITU, to talk about recognising when you might need a reset in your career. Nandan reflects on his sabbatical to Nepal in 2017, which helped him re-evaluate himself and his career pathway. This experience enabled him to return to his role as a clinician with enjoyment and fulfilment. Nandan shares some brilliant advice on reflection, leadership skills and the importance of recognising your flaws as a learning experience.
3 Quotes to lead by...
1. SOMETIMES YOU NEED A RESET
‘I was doing so much that I don’t think I was doing some things as well as I could have been… I needed to stop and the only way I was going to be able to stop was to have a guillotine break… It allowed me to completely reset my view of myself and I was able to come back and enjoy and revel in being a jobbing clinician again, it was fabulous.’
Q. Are you building time into your working week for self-reflection? Are you making time outside of work to participate in activities you enjoy?
2. YOU ARE NOT THE JOB YOU DO
‘You are not the job you do, although it’s hard to remove that sometimes because often the job we do defines our day, defines how important we feel, how important other people regard us and stepping out of that role is actually very important, stepping out to say, actually, Who am I?.. and once you can do that, you can decide how best to approach the role.’
Q. What are your roles outside of work? What are you passionate about both at and outside of work?
3. GOOD LEADERSHIP REQUIRES GOOD FOLLOWERSHIP
‘Good leadership skills require you to have good followership skills as well. You need to understand what it is to work as a team. You need to understand how you can support other people who are taking a lead on something, which doesn’t mean the same as having a badge to say I run a department.’
Q. What qualities do you think you possess that make you a good leader? Take some time to ask your team what they need from you.
External Resources
9 ways to rest, recover and reset your life to become an exceptional leader
You Are Not Your Job
5 Reasons Why Good Leaders Must Be Great Followers
