Our alumni Foo Shan Ju shares her experience and her takeaways from IMPACT Leadership Program she attended in 2022.
In December 2022, I had the opportunity to attend the IMPACT Leadership Program as a participant. The program spanned four weekends and each week focused on a different self-discovery aspect. As it was my first mentorship program, it enlightened me to the importance of a mentor figure and renewed my understanding of what it means to be a leader.
During the first module, the program helped me discover my purpose and redefine what it means to be successful. I used to struggle with finding my purpose and had no idea what success meant to me. After listening to stories shared by the mentors who were very successful people in their fields, I realized that success meant different things to everybody, and your purpose in life helped determine that. After giving it some thought, I believe that our purpose in life as a TCM Physician is to help patients feel better, not just mentally and physically, but also socially and economically. TCM is a holistic medicine, and while we take care of patients’ physical and mental health via effective treatments, we should also ensure that they are comfortable with their treatment plan (especially with rising charges) and if not, work with them to craft an effective yet economically sustainable regime that would benefit them the most. Physicians can also use their regular consultation with patients as a touchpoint to check in on the wellbeing of patients that are in need or are socially isolated. I aspire to help and connect with patients on such a level and continue to give back to the TCM industry. It also made me rethink my position and purpose in the NTU CMAA. As part of alumni, I believe we should focus on two aspects:
- To promote awareness and use of TCM in Singapore, and
- To create a conducive environment for young Physicians to learn and excel in.
As a first step to achieving these goals, we can hold more sharing sessions not just within the alumni but also to the general public to educate them on the importance of TCM. These sharing sessions also provide a platform for younger physicians to seek help or advice when needed while encouraging older Physicians to share their experiences. This will not just build trust and cohesiveness in the TCM community, but also flatten the experience-gap across physicians, instill trust in younger physicians, thus attracting patients or even more younger physicians into the system and propel the TCM industry to greater heights.
We also learned how to develop greater interpersonal effectiveness. Interpersonal effectiveness, at its most
basic level, refers to the ability to interact with others. Goals of interpersonal effectiveness include helping others understand your needs and wants and to consider your opinions. The aim is to strengthen current relationships, build new relationships, and end unhealthy or toxic relationships. This is an important skill to have not just in our profession but also in society. As a young TCM Physician, it teaches me the way to communicate with patients such that they respect our opinions and gain confidence in our treatment. As part of the alumni, it facilitates clarity in communication, thus building relationships and making moving projects forward a breeze.
In the 3rd module, we learned the importance of trust and integrity, both of which are the foundation of relationships. As a TCM Physician, we should hold ethics and morals in high regard such that patients continue to trust us with their health and wellness. It reemphasized to me the importance of ethical treatment and behavior, not just in myself but also in coworkers and from the organization. A simple trick to evaluate your actions when you are unsure is to ask yourself if you would be ok if what you are about to do appears on the front page of the newspapers the next morning. I find that this is an effective way to abide by your moral compass as humans are easily affected by public perception. As part of my company and NTU CMAA, I will continue to uphold the right ethics and not be swayed by unethical practices or behaviors.
Lastly, I also learned how to achieve servant leadership through the program. Servant leaders prioritize serving the greater good instead of their own objectives, and team members in a servant leadership environment are more likely to feel that their voices are heard. As part of NTU CMAA, I believe it is important to encourage diversity of thought and create a culture of trust by actively seeking feedback and opinions from members. This can come in the form of quarterly or bi-annual tea sessions for members to network, exchange information, and share their thoughts and opinions on the future of CMAA and how to help the TCM industry to continue to flourish. We should also foster a sense of community and ownership in the alumni club by setting a strategic vision and communicating the idea across to everyone. Bottom-up empowerment also helps to build members’ self-confidence, decision-making abilities, and collaboration skills, all of which will be beneficial for CMAA activities.
In conclusion, the 4-week mentorship program made a great impact in my self-discovery journey. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to participate and I believe it would make a great experience for anyone that joins in the future!
From PULSE Magazine 6th Edition
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