Oncologist to women told they are ‘too loud’: ‘Don’t let anyone dim your passion’
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Women who work in the health care system are no stranger to microaggressions that can often be too easily dismissed, including being told to dampen their enthusiasm or else be seen as unprofessional.
In an Aug. 27 Twitter thread, Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, reflected on the ways in which she has been told to stem her enthusiasm and sometimes to literally lower her voice to be taken seriously as a leader in medicine.
“Many times in my life, I have been told that I am too bubbly, too verbose, too excitable, too loud ... too much. I have been told to speak softer, speak less, not show my enthusiasm, not show my excitement — it’s unprofessional,” Jain, assistant professor of medicine in the division of hematology, oncology and cell therapy at University of Illinois Cancer Center, and consulting medical editor for Healio's Women in Oncology, wrote in her post.
“Too many times women are told they are ‘too ... something,’ and it is used as an excuse to pass them over for promotions, leadership opportunities, a path to advancement,” Jain added. “Believe me when I tell you, you are not ‘too’ anything. Different people will see you differently. .... It’s OK to think about ways you can improve, but don’t let anyone dim your passion.”
Healio spoke with Jain about her experiences regarding her voice as a leader and the importance of balancing passion and professionalism.
Healio: What spurred on this recent reflection?
Jain: I was having dinner with two women physicians and we were catching up about the last year and some of the initiatives we had been working on. As I talked about some current projects, one of the women turned to the other and excitedly addressed how passionate I sounded when I spoke about my projects. It was so humbling to hear that from someone, because I do get excited talking about my work, but I have been told by both people who care about me and want me to succeed, as well as those who may not have my best interest at heart, that I get too animated. I have been told to “tone it down” if people are to take me seriously.
But in this moment, having a conversation with these two senior leaders in medicine provided a very different perspective on how they perceived my enthusiasm, which they didn’t see as unprofessional. Honestly, I’ve never had someone say that back to me in real time. It was a powerful moment that I reflected back on later.
Healio: What are some of the ways you’ve been told to dampen your voice as a physician?
Jain: Along with being told I’m too excited or too animated, I’ve been told to literally bring my tone and volume down when I’m enthusiastic about a topic. I’ve been told that I won’t be taken seriously as a leader because I share personal anecdotes. I’ve been told to “dress down” or to look the part of a doctor by not appearing too feminine. Once, I was told I couldn’t lead an initiative because they didn’t want “just another pretty face” aboard. In other cases, I have been told that I am wasting my time with certain initiatives that are irrelevant or won’t advance my career, including equity initiatives. I’ve also heard the phrase “too much” or that I have “too many ideas” and it will be hard for others to take me seriously because “that’s not how real leaders work.”
Healio: In what ways might that attitude affect a woman’s career or even day-to-day work?
Jain: I will say that I’ve been incredibly fortunate because I have a team of supporters, family and friends who have helped me navigate through these very challenging conversations. If I did not have that support system in place, I think I would probably have left medicine, stopped leading and probably stopped my current work. I will say, even for me, some of these conversations and statements have led me to leave positions or initiatives because I felt the people telling me that I had “too many ideas” were right, and that I wasn’t the right person for that position or opportunity. These statements have led to self-doubt where I felt like I wasn’t qualified enough or felt how I handled something was wrong because of the statements others made. There are many women this happens to who leave medicine, leave leadership positions or don’t apply for them, who don’t speak up in meetings or who don’t share their ideas. I’ve had many times when I wanted to do something for quality improvement or work toward actionable change, where these comments have prevented me from feeling like I had the ability to accomplish what needed to be done or made me feel that my opinions or thoughts were not valid. I know many women who literally have been silenced because they have been told not to speak in these situations.
Healio: Why is showing your passion and enthusiasm important as a health care professional, especially as a woman?
Jain: One thing I want to be sure to state is that there is a difference between showing your passion and enthusiasm and being “over the top” in a professional setting. There is a certain level of professionalism that is necessary to lead. But the question is: Where is that line? How do we define professionalism without allowing unconscious bias to dictate our actions? Real, powerful, visionary leaders who are transformative are people who are able to not only be excited and passionate themselves but are able to excite other people. These leaders need to inspire others through the work that they do and also the way in which they speak and lead.
It’s also important to remember that, as leaders in health care, it’s easy to burn out these days. There’s so much going against us as physicians in general, so it’s even more important now than ever to fuel the flames of that passion among the people who are still out there fighting the good fight. We are at a crossroads in our health care system, some 19 months now into this pandemic. This has been a marathon of challenge after challenge for health care workers, so we need these passionate visionary leaders now more than ever.
For more information:
Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, can be reached at sjain25@uic.edu or on Twitter at @ShikhaJainMD.
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