How Doctors Project Influence
Doctors are some of society’s most trusted professionals. Patients around the world entrust their lives and the lives of their loved ones to the care of doctors, nurses, surgeons, and a host of others in the healthcare field. According to the 2010 Gallup Health and Healthcare Survey, 70 percent of Americans feel secure with their doctor’s medical advice and don’t find it necessary to seek out a second opinion. This security is partly due to the confidence that a doctor projects since a doctor’s assurance influences how safe a patient feels with the decisions that are made.
You don’t need to be a doctor in order to have the same kind of confidence and influence. As a small business owner or startup, follow some of the steps that doctors have taken in their own lives and you too can gain an equal level of poise, self-assurance and influence.
Education
According to the American Medical Association, a doctor goes through at least eight years of combined undergraduate and medical schooling before they can obtain their doctor of medicine degree. However, this education precedes another three to seven years of residency experience before they are allowed to practice by themselves. Some practitioners even go through another one to three years of fellowship training in order to become specialists in a chosen field. The result of all of this education is not only a tremendous amount of knowledge but also confidence in their ability to correctly interpret and apply that knowledge.
As a small business owner and/or startup getting an education can have the same effect for those who choose to pursue other trades or professions. The self-assurance and influence that comes from expanding your horizon of knowledge can allow you to have the same strength and influence in the lives of those you work with. AND if you already have an education stay on top of what’s going on by reading trade magazines (on and offline), attending workshops, seminars, trade events, etc.
Experience
Doctors not only receive textbook knowledge from their years in school, they receive practical, hands-on experience from their day-to-day interactions with patients and medicine. The combination of education and experience allows them to approach a problem with a well-rounded perspective that gives them the assurance they need in order to provide a solution. Patients tend to be influenced by their doctor’s advice since they believe their doctor has the information required in order to make the right decision. Others in or outside the medical profession can gain this same level of trust by engaging in activities and occupations that will provide them with additional experience.
Gain experience in your chosen profession or pursuit by seeking out opportunities to practice and learn, be it through volunteer work, an internship, or something else.
Job Security
Since the world will always be in need of doctors and healthcare providers, those who work in the field have a fairly high level of job growth opportunities. This contributes to the confidence that a doctor is able to project and the influence they are able to have as a result. Feeling that you are safe and stable in your career path allows you to focus more on your work and can help you excel in your chosen field. The stability a doctor enjoys allows them to devote more of their time and attention to the patients they care for and the education they continue to seek.
Deciding on a career or what type of business you are starting will provide you with a higher level of job security will help you attain a greater degree of confidence in the work you are doing. This in turn will help you positively influence those around you.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, startup or small business owner, by implementing the above steps in your own life, you can project the same level of confidence and have just as much positive influence as the doctors you have come to know and trust.
