by Mitch Motivates Leff
The old proverb goes: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Well at Neinstein Plastic Surgery, we are lead by Dr. Neinstein, and he is always teaching us. I have learned way more than I thought I would when I started working with him. As COO of Neinstein Plastic Surgery, and coming up on four years of service to the practice, we are constantly learning and growing.
Two of our core values at Neinstein Plastic Surgery are to be life long learners and to generously share knowledge. So, one of the things we do at the office, which started over two years ago is the NPS Book club. Every month the staff choose a new non-fiction book for us to read as a team. We choose a book we can learn from, to grow from, and to apply the lessons from the book of the month to our patients and our colleagues. The book of the month at NPS has helped me grow as a professional in the office, as well as in my personal life too.
I learned that my potential for growth is not capped, its limitless. However, sometimes my mindset can be limited. We learn to play Chess not checkers, to think about our future. How do you grow your mindset from being capped and limited? By self-discipline, routine, and by learning and being humble for growth. For me, growth means doubling down on what I do best, on my strengths. My biggest enemy in 2024 is going to be my own limited mindset. My biggest enemy is thinking I can take on herculean tasks, but in reality, I just need to double down on what I do best.
I have the keys to success for 2024 right in front of me. Back to the Neinstein Plastic Surgery Book club. Last year we read some of the best books on leadership: Radical Candor, Dare to Lead, and How to Win Friends and Influence people. Classic books that show us to lead by example and to lead by action. I want to summarize each book and share my feedback with you.
Radical Candor
Radical Candor by Kim Scott is a must-read for any manager or leader who wants to create an environment where people feel safe to speak their minds, get their jobs done, and feel respected. Radical Candor is a term she uses for a specific type of guidance. Scott calls it “radical” implying that bosses should literally mean what they say, and “candor”, and not “honesty”, emphasizing that they must sincerely believe in what they say and do. Radical Candor happens when you care personally and challenge directly.
Dare to Lead
We all want to be leaders. What does it take to be a good one? Learn how to lead from a place of compassion and empathy with Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. She says we need braver leaders and more courageous cultures. Throughout Dare to Lead, you’ll learn about the foundational skills of courage-building that you need to become a daring leader. To be a daring leader, one who is not afraid of change and new challenges, you must embrace vulnerability, recognizing it not as a form of weakness but as a willingness to acknowledge when you don’t know all the answers.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
This class book written in 1936 by Dale Carnegie emphasizes the importance of showing genuine interest in others, being a good listener, and giving honest appreciation. It also discusses techniques for handling people, winning them over to your way of thinking, and becoming a more influential communicator. We aren’t able to make real changes by criticizing people, and we’re instead often met with resentment. It’s important to remember that when dealing with people, we’re dealing not with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, who are motivated by pride and ego. So many lessons, tips and tricks from this best seller, there are timeless principals that can be studied and a whole separate blog entry and be done just for this book alone.
My commitment for this year is going to be doubling down and studying more about leadership. I will be starting with re-reading and re-studying these three legendary books. They are books that help me pursue excellence in leadership in both my professional career and in my personal life. My whole team at Neinstein Plastic Surgery values the pursuit of excellence in leadership. They pursue leadership the same way that they perform in the operating room during surgery. We seek excellence in and out of the operating room. Working for Dr. Neinstein has been a masterclass in this pursuit.
A little over a year ago I started a journey inspired by Dr. Neinstein to share my story with the world. A story of my sobriety and recovery from substance abuse. It was 17 years in the making, but Dr. Neinstein in his pursuit of excellence, inspired me to write my story down and write a book. This week, my book is going to come out, a memoir/self-help book about Mitch Motivates Leff titled “My Addition, My Superpower from Mania to Motivates: Twelve Tips for Overcoming Addiction, Crushing Life, and Inspiring Others.” I bring this up because it wouldn’t have happened without his leadership. We lead by example and we lead by action at Neinstein Plastic Surgery, I hope to do the same with my book.
I want to thank Dr. Neinstein for allowing me to serve the staff and the practice by being a leader in our office. I want to thank our staff, who I see and work with every day, for allowing me to share this journey with you in the office. I hope I can inspire you to do better in 2024. I hope 2024 will be your best year yet and be the year all your dreams come true. I hope 2024 will be the year you can inspire others and be a leader in your professional and personal lives. Read Radical Candor, Dare to Lead, and How to Win Friends and Influence People. We are interested to see your take on the three books.