Hail to the chief: Revisiting lessons learned by Dick Lindstrom
Premium surgeons need to remember to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
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There are only so many opportunities as a premium surgeon to experience words of wisdom from one of our own chiefs in the field of eye care. OSN Chief Medical Editor Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, gave the keynote lecture at a recent eye meeting and discussed lessons learned throughout his career. With his permission, I wanted to share his top 10 lessons shared with the group and how they potentially can affect all of us as premium surgeons.
1. We are each unique, one in 10 billion. Be yourself — everyone else is taken.
When I started my practice 28 years ago, most thought it was impossible to go into private practice solo from ground zero; not joining a practice was unthinkable, and it is even tougher today. For those who have gone the self-made route, kudos. I decided to be myself.
2. Be nice, be kind, love yourself and others. Follow the golden rule. Remember the “true gentleman.”
I always have followed the simple rule of just simply listening to my patients, which will most likely lead to the correct diagnosis. You can give each patient the same quality of care in the exam lane in just minutes if each of us look and listen intently to our patients and maybe step away from the EMR screen for those few minutes.
3. Work hard. Work smart. There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs. Challenges and change are what make life interesting — embrace them. Goals are dreams with a deadline. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.
4. Perseverance: Never, never, never give up (Churchill). Do not be afraid to fail; be afraid not to try. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new (Einstein).
5. Be honest, honorable, ethical, truthful and transparent. Integrity is important and pays dividends.
This lesson is probably one of the most important as a premium surgeon. Be ethical. Do the proper due diligence in deciding whether a patient is really a true candidate for a premium IOL option. I typically turn away 22% of patients who want premium IOL technology because objectively they just do not qualify because of things such as macular issues, cornea status and not being eligible for laser vision correction if needed postop to help hit the refractive target.
6. Choose wisely, especially spouse, partners, friends, business associates and advisers. Respect yourself enough to walk away from anyone or anything that no longer makes you happy. If unhappy, make changes: Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable.
This lesson is the one closest to my life, having gone through personal challenges, but I learned to keep significant others from running my practice, as the home front then never leaves work. One person in particular was a savior to Jacksoneye. Patricia Morris, COE, a consultant of several years, came in as interim chief operating officer for 1 year, traveling from New York to Chicago 3 to 4 days a week to keep me afloat until I found my new full-time COO. I chose wisely in Patricia.
7. Plan ahead: personal, family, career, spiritual. Do not get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. Strong friendships and families are created through shared experiences. Seek to live a balanced life (the impossible dream).
As many who already know me, my theme since 2018 has been to celebrate life. In light of the recent Kobe Bryant tragedy, many of us now are seeing this is quite true.
8. Say “yes” to opportunity. Be positive. Delusional optimists are the most successful and joyful people. Be willing to take risk. Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there (Rogers).
Keep learning and advancing your skills as a premium surgeon. I remember my lead technician in 1996 asked me, “Why do we have to keep upgrading to new microkeratomes in LASIK once we are comfortable with one design?” Well, it would be a shame if we were still using that same microkeratome today on my patients in 2020.
9. Never stop learning. Fortune favors the prepared mind (Pasteur). Leadership is a learned skill. To learn to lead, you must lead.
10. Finally: Do it with love — love for yourself, love for others. It is the paradox of giving: The more you give, the more you get. Live in the moment because no one is promised tomorrow. Remember: Life is all about the journey, one moment at a time, not the destination.
As premium surgeons, enjoy the journey. For me personally, it has been an awesome journey with peaks and valleys, but in the end, the satisfaction for what I do daily is forever lasting.
- For more information:
- Mitchell A. Jackson, MD, can be reached at Jacksoneye, 300 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite L, Lake Villa, IL 60046; email: mjlaserdoc@msn.com.
Disclosure: Jackson reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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